


When can I see you again

by notevenbothered



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Immortality, M/M, Pining, The Past, Time Travel, eventual chanbaek after about 10 chapters legit, i guess, i have every chapter planned so hopefully i wont be a loser and I'll finish this, immortal luhan tao kris chanyeol too, immortal minseok, is it a spoiler that jd is jongdae, probs not - Freeform, this may or may not be named after the owl city song loll, time traveller jongdae, time traveller x immortal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-02-16 06:04:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 73,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13048020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notevenbothered/pseuds/notevenbothered
Summary: An immortal life is a boring when, but when a certain time traveller starts popping up every twenty years, Minseok finds his life becoming far more interesting. However, the gaps in between their meetings start to feel longer and emptier as he becomes more attached to the man who calls himself, "JD". Jongdae, meanwhile, just wants to get back to his own time, and is absolutely certain his immortal friend doesn't return his feelings.





	1. 1816

**Author's Note:**

> Was suddenly struck by inspiration so wrote this!

**1816**

An old man was walking down the street. It was midnight, and the only light to illuminate the cobbled path came from the moon, and from firelight through the windows of houses. A woman leaning out of her window to close the shutters looked up at the sounds of footsteps, and saw a young man with a handsome youthful face strolling towards her. The old man turned to look at her as he passed her, and she returned his smile. He walked away, and she forgot about him aside from a passing thought, that such a young face can have such old and wise eyes.

He forgot about her too. Minseok forgot about most people, as living an immortal life with a human memory left little room for storage. He had forgotten quite a few of the names of his cousins and aunts, the faces of most of his lovers and almost every friend.

The only thing he couldn’t forget, even though he tried, was the people he had loved that had died. He outlived both his parents, of course, and his brother, and his nieces and nephews. Immortals tended to steer clear of mortals for that reason, that their presence was so fleeting.

Minseok felt weary of the world. He was by comparison actually a fairly young immortal, only a hundred and twenty years old or so (he’d forgotten the exact year he was born), and his face had always been young looking even when he was ageing as a usual person. He hadn’t gotten to thirty when he was given the Punishment. It was tiring, living everyday and not knowing if there was an end.

He had a habit of waking up and thinking, “Not again.” He had a habit of being so gloomy that steering clear of mortal friendships was easy, as they tended to be repelled by him.

It was also a confusing life. He knew he was old enough to be a great-grandfather, and knew he was as wise as one and as grumpy, but he was treated as casually as the young man he looked like. He should be dead and buried right now, but here he was, fit and healthy and bitter as hell.

He had one close friend, of course. Immortals tended to stick together, due to being the only chance of a long-lasting companion. Luhan was younger than him by about thirty years, but they had both been given the Punishment at the same physical age, so walking together looked like natural friends. They tended to live near if not with each other, but tonight Minseok was alone.

Tonight, Minseok felt like a walk. It was a warm summer’s evening in the year 1816, but late enough that the sun had finally set. His steps took him out of the town where he lived and into the countryside path. He had liked living here, but they’d been there for about seven years now, and soon it would be time to move on, lest someone realised the two young gentlemen weren’t ageing. The town wasn’t small but he lived on the outskirts, so that he could easily find some quiet if he wanted. Luhan meanwhile preferred the bustle of it, serving as a distraction and a pastime for his eternity of a lifespan.

The worst problem was that life was incredibly boring. At first he had filled with the loud parties, lover after lover and adventures steadily increasing in danger. These were the kind of things a person in their prime did, someone young and fun. His friends all outgrew it, he searched for new friends, and then they outgrew it.

Eventually he had to outgrow it, though his body stayed stubbornly the same. Now it was just the boring stuff, making money and spending it, eating to stay alive and exercising to stay healthy. When you’ve lived more than a hundred years, days blur together into grey to the extent that the moment you’re living is coloured grey.

Nothing interesting happened anymore, as he attempted to keep a low profile so as not to alert any authorities that he, well, existed. He’d faked his death when his mother accused him of witchcraft, of consorting with the devil to remain young, and left town. Thirty years later and curious he went back and watched his brother’s family from afar. His niece was getting married that day. His brother turned and saw him, and pretended he hadn’t.

“Evening,” a farmer pulling a cart from the fields called to him. Minseok raised a hand in greeting, they passed and continued on their ways.

Minseok strolled into the field the farmer had left, for no reason other than he saw that the gate was left open and he felt like walking through it. The grass scrunched beneath his feet and he stared up at the stars, counting out constellations he had long since memorised due to the boredom that so frequently plagued him.

It was very still and quiet, warm but not humid and dark but not pitch black. He could hear crickets and an owl from somewhere in the woods.

WHITE.

A sudden flash of bright white light shocked him.

“AGH!” he stumbled backwards and stared before him. The field had been empty a few seconds ago, there was nothing to have created it. Was it God? Still blinded from the sudden flash he couldn’t see properly and rubbed his eyes.

He could hear panting from before him and slowly a young man came into focus, holding a complicated looking metal machine.

They blinked at each other.

“Hyung?” asked the man, surprised.

“What in the Hell,” Minseok murmured. Was he a magician?

“Minseok-hyung?” the man repeated.

“How do you know my name?”

The man didn’t reply, and looked around himself. “Why are we in a field? Why did you come with me?” He turned back to frown at Minseok. “You’re wearing different clothes than before.” Suddenly he sighed, clearly annoyed and put down his machine. All Minseok could do was watch him in confusion. “Can you believe Jongin? This is all his fault! Kyungsoo said  _specifically_  to not press the button! Now we’re both here!”

He looked around again. “But why are we in a field? Something must have gone really wrong. So annoying!” A pause, as Minseok still couldn’t find anything to say. “And  _why_  are you wearing different clothes to before?”

“These are-,” Minseok was managing, “These are the same clothes I’ve been wearing all day.”

“No,” the man said, “Earlier today you were wearing that blue hoodie! Now you look like you’re from the eighteen hundreds or something.”

Minseok stared at him incredulously. The man’s face transformed into anxiety. “Oh my God. This isn’t the eighteen hundreds is it?”

“Eighteen sixteen,” Minseok said, and added, “What kind of a lunatic are you?” The nearest asylum was miles and miles away, it was going to be a hassle getting this guy back there.

He looked back at the man, and saw his eyes filled with dread. He fell to his knees and grabbed the machine, staring at the numbers on it. “Two hundred years!” he yelled, “Not twenty minutes! Jongin I will  _kill_ you!” He froze again and stared at Minseok. “So why are you here?”

“I was out for a walk.”

The man was blinking. “You never said we’d met before.”

“We haven’t.”

“No, I mean future you. We’re friends. You never said we’d met in the 1816 when I met you for the first time a few months ago.”

“I didn’t meet you a few months ago.”

“No  _I_ met you a few months ago in my time.”

“I don’t know you.”

“Then how come I know your name is Minseok!” the man stood up triumphantly. His worry seemed to have left him for some reason. “We’re friends in the future!”

A lunatic. A lunatic that knew his name and was convinced he was from the future. The man was definitely dressed weirdly, in some ghastly yellow jumper and strange blue trousers that were ripped at the knees. He must have done it to them while on the run.

Seeing Minseok looked unconvinced the man continued, “And I know you’re an immortal!” At this Minseok froze. “You and Luhan-hyung! I met both of you! Then Jongin sent me back in time and I’ve met you again!” He was grinning. His smile was intriguing, cat-like in the way it upturned at the corners. His entire face was handsome now that Minseok was looking at it properly. “I’m from the future! I’m a time traveller, you’ve got to believe me!”

Something was shifting in Minseok’s heart. Maybe it was the pretty face, or the sincerity in his voice and eyes, or the story of time travel, but Minseok was absolutely enthralled. Suddenly the shadow that he lived under passed for a moment under the bright gaze of this stranger.

“So why am I in your future?” Minseok asked him.

“Because you’re immortal, hyung, or did you forget,” the future-man was laughing, “I knew you were old but I didn’t realise you were so old that you were alive in 1816!”

Gloom resettled over Minseok’s emotions. His punishment hadn’t been lifted then, for two hundred years more into the future. That was, if the future-man was telling the truth. 

Future man continued talking, “We met at Zhang Company one day! I can’t believe you didn’t tell me we met before and that I would end up time travelling!” He paused for a moment and spoke more seriously to himself. “Wait, Kyungsoo said not to tell anyone from the past anything about the future. Forget everything I’ve told you! I need to head back.”

“Head back?”

“To the future,” said the man, reaching for his machine. Minseok felt disappointed somehow. He wanted to talk to this vibrant stranger more. The man looked down at the machine and then frowned. “0% charged? Damn! Never mind then, I’m staying a bit longer,” he said cheerfully, and Minseok’s heart lifted, even though he had no idea what ‘charged’ meant.

Impulsively Minseok said, “Come stay with me then. You probably don’t have anywhere to go, right?”

The stranger looked touched. “Really, hyung? That’s so nice of you! You don’t even know me yet!”

“I guess not,” Minseok considered. “What’s your name?”

“I can’t tell you,” the stranger said, “I’m not allowed to!”

“Then how can I welcome you into my home if I don’t know who you are?”

The man pouted and Minseok almost gave in. Then he sighed and said, “Fine, I’ll give you my codename. Don’t tell Sehun I used it though.” He held out his hand. “Call me JD.”

Minseok shook it. “I’m Minseok.”

“I know,” JD beamed. “You’re really the best, Minseokkie-hyung! Nice to me in whatever timeline! The machine is solar-charged, so I just need to leave it in the sun for about a day then I’ll be on my way.”

He started hopping from foot to foot in excitement. “This is so fun! I’m actually in the past! I’d be so afraid if you weren’t here with me, hyung! I can’t believe I get to know your past now too!”

“Do we know each other well?”

_The year was 2016 and the whole team were crowded in one small workshop at Zhang Company, apart from Kyungsoo who was in the control room coding the time machine and Junmyeon who was taking a phone call. Kyungsoo had given the machine to Jongdae to hold. They were all excited for this moment, as Zifeng was saying, it was “Two hundred years in the making”. Chanyeol sniggered at that for some reason._

_Minseok was sitting near him, handsome as ever, next to Luhan and Tao. Jongdae couldn’t help turning to look and smile at him, a smile which was returned if slightly wobbly. He liked Minseok a lot, but he always seemed to try and keep his distance from him, while also keeping close._

_And then Jongin ambled over, said “What does this do?” pressed the button and the there was a flash of white light and he was standing in a field, still holding the machine. There was someone in front of him, and he was quickly surprised to see it was Minseok again, but dressed differently._

“ _I_  think we’re friends! Sometimes you seem a little gloomy, though.”

 “Sounds like me,” Minseok said, “Luhan tells me I’m depressing to be around.”

“Is Luhan-hyung here too!” JD exclaimed, “I didn’t realise you two had been friends for so long! Can I go meet him? He won’t know me yet either!”

“We live together, so you’ll meet him if you stay with me, I guess.”

“You are honestly the BEST Minseokkie-hyung, I don’t know how I’ll repay you,” JD slid his arm through Minseok’s and started leading him the wrong way through the field. Minseok startled a little at the contact but only said,

“My house is that way.”

JD looked over and nodded as he changed direction, “Oh of course, in the town. I don’t know why I was headed into the woods. Though you do have the face of a chipmunk sometimes, or a squirrel.”

Minseok frowned at him.

“A cute squirrel, hyung! Baekhyun always wears the flying squirrel onesie because he says they’re the cutest.”

“The future seems very strange,” Minseok told him.

“It’s fun! I always wear the dinosaur onesie, you told me I look nice in green.”

“You don’t like nice in yellow.”

JD’s jaw dropped, insulted, as he looked down at the disastrously yellow jumper he was wearing. “ _Hyung_!” he whined affronted, “You told me you liked it earlier today!”

“I must have been lying. And your trousers are ripped,” but there was no bite in Minseok’s voice, as he was endeared by JD’s pouty face. It was the strangest conversation he’d had in his life and he was half sure he was dreaming.  _Why_  had he believed the impossible story, and then invited the strange stranger to his house?

“Ripped jeans are the fashion, hyung!”

“Sure,” Minseok said, finding he was enjoying JD’s company more and more. “It doesn’t make you look scruffy at all.”

“Wow, you’re just as mean in the past as in the future,” JD grumbled, “I don’t mean it though! You’re the nicest, even though you forgot we met!”

Something inside Minseok knew that know matter what, JD wasn’t going to be someone he forgot. JD seemed to love everything about the boring town and boring streets. He skipped along the cobbled roads, saying “How  _authentic_!” and stared in wonder at the streets, commenting, “I didn’t realise street lamps had already been invented, how clever!”

They reached his and Luhan’s narrow home in not too much time. JD stepped in and looked around in wonder. “ _Cool_.”

“If you’re cold I can light a fire,” Minseok offered in a concerned voice.

“I’m fine, hyung! I just like your house,” he looked around delightedly. He exclaimed in excitement when he saw the candlestick. “You still have that! I recognise it! You said you took it from your father’s house when you left.”

“I… did.”

How did JD know that? Unless he was an intense stalker with a very detailed made up back story and magical qualities like creating light out of nowhere, the only option was the slightly crazy truth that this man was a time traveller.

“I really am from the future, see?” JD said, “You only told me that last week!” He put his machine down on the floor. “Can I leave that there? We can go and charge it tomorrow! When I see you again in the future I’ll make you a delicious meal in thanks, even though you forgot you did it!”

“I’m tired,” Minseok suddenly said, truthfully, “Goodnight. Sleep anywhere.”

JD flopped onto the couch. “Goodnight, hyung! Thanks again!”

So Minseok went to bed, quite sure he had imagined the entire encounter and there wasn't a man from the future asleep on his couch, but for the first time in a hundred years fell asleep without dreading waking up again.

* * *

 

He didn’t wake up naturally, however, it was with a loud shriek.

“WHO ARE YOU?”

Followed by a cheerful, “Luhan-hyung! Don’t worry, I’m a friend of Minseok’s!”

“He won’t believe that,” Minseok muttered as he hurried out of his bedroom.

Luhan was saying, “Minseok doesn’t have friends!”

Minseok was half wondering if he should be worried and insulted, but also half concerned for JD being alone and under the wrath of his frightening roommate.

“Luhan, it’s okay, I do know him,” Minseok said, putting a hand on his shoulder, “And could you make me sound a little less like a pathetic loner?”

Luhan frowned and looked from Minseok to JD. “You actually do know him? You’ve never mentioned him before. Also, why are his clothes so weird, is he from the circus? Since when do you go to circuses, hyung?”

“I’m not from the circus, I’m from the future,” said JD.

“Sure,” Luhan rolled his eyes and turned to look questioningly at Minseok. Minseok simply shrugged.

“Great, Umin, you let in a lost asylum patient, and now he’s in our house.”

“You’re an immortal who was born in 1722 and has lived with Minseok since the 1750’s. Neither of you can actually remember meeting.”

“Yes, I can!” Luhan snapped. Then, “No I can’t, damn. How do you know about immortals, fiend?”

“We’re friends in the future!” JD insisted, standing and going to grab his time machine, “Here’s my time machine! See! It’s set to take me two hundred years backwards and…”

JD froze and stared at the little windows on the machine. He facial expression was drooping. “And… only twenty years forward.” He sighed and looked into the distance, expression annoyed and disappointed. “I’m going to physically murder Kim Jongin, I cannot believe he did this to me.”

“What is he going on about?” Luhan hissed to Minseok. “Do you believe him?”

Minseok nodded. “He appeared in a flash of light in the fields yesterday and said he and I are friends in the future. He mentioned you too.”

“That means I’m going to have to make ten jumps into the future to make it hoooome!” JD whined, stamping his foot. “Ugh, I’m going to need to wait for it charge each time! When I see Jongin I’ll hit him!” All Minseok and Luhan could do was watch the display.

“No,” JD changed his mind, “He’s too cute. He probably feels bad. I’ll reprimand him, though!” He looked back to Luhan and Minseok.

“I really can’t respond,” Luhan said, “I didn’t understand a word of what you said.”

“He needs to leave it in the sun before he can use it again, is what I think he means,” Minseok said. JD nodded beaming.

“It’s sunny outside!” Luhan was eager for him to leave. “If we let the stranger from the future leave his magic box outside in the sun then he’ll go away?”

“That’s it!” JD affirmed. He walked to the door and wondered outside into the streets. “Thank you for letting me stay, Minseok-hyung! I can take it from here!” he called through the window, and walked away. Immediately townspeople started muttering as he passed them, clearly alien to them.

Minseok looked at Luhan. Luhan sighed and said,

“We probably shouldn’t let him wonder the streets alone.” Minseok grabbed his jacket and ran after JD. Somehow, Luhan didn’t feel annoyed. Maybe it was the fact that Minseok’s face looked more alive than it had in decades, or JD’s genuine and nice personality.

Still, he would leave Minseok to be responsible for the lost-future-man. It wasn’t his problem.

* * *

It wasn’t hard to catch up with JD, as he hadn’t left soon before and was weighed down by his machine. He was having a huge effect on the townspeople though. Everyone was openly staring at him as he walked through the busy morning streets, still in his strange clothes, and carrying the strange machine.

“JD!” Minseok called, “Wait for me!”

JD paused and turned back, and smiled at him. “I knew you wouldn’t make me be by myself, Minseokkie-hyung! I was just heading for the fields again so I can leave my machine somewhere no one will take it.”

“We should go to the meadow then, not the farm fields, no one will be walking there,” Minseok told him, “It’s this way.” JD happily followed him.

“You’re a great friend, Minseok!”

Minseok didn’t reply. He wasn’t one to make friends.

“Is it okay if I call you my friend? I know you don’t know me but I know you is the thing, and you’re nice to me then and now and I like you quite a lot so I can’t really not think of you as my friend-,”

“You can say we’re friends,” Minseok told him. The smile he got in return made his statement worth it.

“You are so nice, hyung!”

“You’ve been saying that so much, and you’re also the only one to have ever said it,” Minseok told him. “People usually think I’m mean.” Or selfish, or cruel, or heartless, as he remembered being called back in those old days, when he probably was.

JD shook his head passionately, “You’re never mean to me, hyung!”

“Just wait,” Minseok said seriously, but JD laughed in response and linked arms with him like he had the night before, casually like he had the night before.

They made it to the meadow, empty as Minseok had promised. It was a bright and sunny day. JD put down his machine and opened up two flaps so that their shiny surfaces faced the sky.

“They’re solar panels,” JD explained, “They’ll use the energy of the sun and… Turn it into time energy or something.” He looked sheepish. “I actually don’t know.”

“If you don’t know how it works why were you using it?”

“I told you! It was Jongin’s fault,” JD cried passionately, “I was only holding it for Kyungsoo! I don’t even work for Zhang Company! He was still setting the dials when Jongin pressed the button! It was meant to be set twenty minutes forwards twenty minutes back, Junmyeon was supposed to pilot it!”

Minseok listened to the outcry, amused. JD had a mostly happy and enthusiastic personality, but he whined and became affronted easily, to seemed. JD sighed and peered at the machine again.

“It’s not even at 1% yet, hyung! What if it takes ages?”

He didn’t know much about JD, but what he did know was that he wanted to spend more time with his person. He said, “We can go to-,” he realised he didn’t go into his own town enough to know anything fun to do, “We can… Go look around.”

JD stared at him blankly and then beamed. “Exciting! Hyung we can go sightseeing! In 1816! Though, 1816 isn’t interesting to you, only for me!”

“You’ll need to get changed, you can’t go around dressed like that.”

“You just don’t like my jumper.”

“That too,” Minseok looked into JD’s smiling, handsome face. In the sunlight his eyes were flecked with gold. Beautiful. “We’re about the same size, you can borrow some of my clothes.”

JD laughed, it was loud and bold and Minseok forgot for a second what bitterness was, “Let’s go let’s go!” and JD was running then, over the hills and filled with more life and energy than Minseok could have accumulated over all his years of life put together.

* * *

 

Luhan hadn’t said much other than “have fun” as they went home and left again with JD dressed appropriately. Truthfully Luhan was puzzled beyond words Minseok was suddenly going to do something associated with enjoyment that wasn’t lonesome walks or eating rice cakes.

JD burst into the streets again in his new clothes, which weren’t actually new and slightly out of fashion too, as Minseok found it hard to constantly keep up. JD had neatly folded his yellow jumper and told it tenderly he would return.

“Minseok-hyung, come on! Which way!”

He caught sight of himself in a window. “I look super good in these clothes, hyung. Better than you, even though they’re a bit loose. You’re very muscular you know.”

There wasn’t time to be embarrassed, because then JD pulled out a small black rectangle, held it above him and smiled at it, seeming to pose at it. “I’ve got to show Baekhyun these! It’s lucky I remembered my phone, right?”

Minseok stared blankly. “Oh, you don’t know what a phone is! I can’t be bothered to explain, but look it has a camera.”

JD bounded forward to show him. The “phone” appeared to be a strange sort of mirror. JD held it in front of them, tapped a small circle on the mirror and then it froze for a second. Minseok’s jaw dropped, “How did it do that?” Clearly it wasn’t a mirror.

“It’s a phone,” JD told him, and then quickly put it in his pocket, “I probably shouldn’t let many people see it. Which way?”

“You’re… Actually from the future,” Minseok said, as he finally fully believed it. “It didn’t fully register until just now.”

JD only laughed, grabbed his arm and pulled him through the streets as though he was the resident, not Minseok.

In the centre of town a market was going on, and both their stomachs grumbled as both remembered they hadn’t had breakfast. “Hyung, buy me food,” JD said.

“Why?”

“ _Hyuuung!_  I don’t have any  _moneyyyy_ ,” JD whined, “Please?”

So Minseok ended up buying them both fried meat of some kind at a nearby stall.

“Ahh! That looks so good, madam!” JD enthused to the lady cooking there.

She looked pleased at his compliment, “Thank you, young man! I don’t believe I’ve seen you before?” She looked at Minseok, “I know you, of course.” Her tone was a little less friendly, natural due to the fact he never made any attempt to be friendly to anyone himself.

“I’m visiting my friend here,” JD said smoothly, “He’s so nice to me and such a good host! It’s a shame he’s too busy to get out a lot, right? He’s treating me right now!”

“Is he?” the lady said, and smiled a lot kindlier at Minseok then.

_He’s magic_  is what Minseok thought of JD at that moment. It had been one of his first thoughts upon meeting him, that he was some kind of magician, but now he thought him magic for another reason. How could someone be so friendly and likeable?

They got their food and Minseok paid as promised, then wondered away again. Nothing much had changed in that Minseok still didn’t feel particularly comfortable in the business of the town, but JD’s presence was making it enjoyable. He laughed and made jokes, and seemed to genuinely like Minseok somehow.

He wondered how his future-self had been able to befriend a guy like this. Maybe he was less bitter in the future.

“You can’t tell me anything about the future, can you?” Minseok asked him.

“Nothing!” JD replied cheerfully, “I might cause some time loops that result in the world ending.”

“What can you tell me?”

JD paused, thinking carefully before saying, “I’m twenty-four, I’m roommates with my best friend Baekhyun, and I know Zhang Company through my other best friend Yixing. I’m an editor for a newspaper and I have one older brother!”

“I have an older brother too,” Minseok said, correcting himself quickly, “Had.”

JD’s expression changed to one of sadness then. “That must be the sad part of being immortal, I guess.”

“Yeah. We don’t tend to spend time with mortals for that reason.”

JD nodded. “Is that why no one in town knows you?”

“I only really talk to Luhan,” Minseok agreed, “Other than that it’s just sad to be around them, you don’t get to know them for very long.”

They were quiet for a moment, and then JD said. “You’ll know me! Because the time machine is set to go forwards in jumps of twenty, we’ll meet again in twenty years’ time!”

Twenty years suddenly felt like a huge amount of time to wait to see JD again, even if he was basically a stranger, and Minseok an immortal who had lived six times that.

“You’ll need someone to look after you and catch you up, won’t you?” Minseok said, not really knowing why he was saying this.

JD looked delighted. “Yes! We should meet up every twenty years! It’ll be useful having an immortal friend like you!”

_It’ll be a pleasure seeing you no matter when_ , Minseok thought.

The deal was made.

They spent the rest of the day together, JD still fascinated by everything around him, commenting on how different things were, and how cool it was people lived without being so dependent on electricity, and how there were hardly any cars.

Minseok for the most part had no idea what half of what he said meant, but found he didn’t really mind.

They went back to the house to have lunch with Luhan, who was surprised at their plan.

“Umin, we won’t be living here in twenty years, we’ll have to move on,” he reminded him.

“We’ll be moving on anyway in less than a year, it won’t hurt to come back in twenty to help out a friend,” Minseok said. There was an eagerness in his eyes that was there so rarely that Luhan couldn’t disagree.

“You’re right, it won’t.”

JD squealed in happiness and hugged Luhan suddenly. “You’re the best too Luhan! I’m so lucky I ran into the two nicest immortals in 2016 and 1816! What a coincidence I ran into you when I got transported back in time, Minseokkie-hyung?”

 The glance between the two immortals shared the understanding it probably wasn’t a coincidence, but JD was too happy to notice as Luhan gently removed his arms from around himself. “I’m the luckiest time traveller in the world!”

JD happily got changed back into the yellow jumper and ripped "jeans" before telling both Minseok and Luhan to accompany him to the meadow to say goodbye when he was sure the machine was at 100%. 

“I’ll see you two soon,” he smiled. “Thank you for everything!”

“We’ll see each other again June 2nd 1836,” said Minseok, and JD nodded in affirmation, starting to fiddle with the machine.

Minseok and Luhan waved, a little uncertainly as they weren’t sure what would happen next. And then JD flipped the lever on the right side of the machine, pressed the large red button, and there was a large flash of white light and he was gone.

The two left behind were quiet.

“This is the strangest thing that has ever happened ever,” Luhan said. “Why did we agree to that?”

Minseok didn’t reply, but only thought that he was looking forward to twenty years’ time more than anything.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this if you did! It's my first EXO fanfiction even thought I've been into them for more than a year! Not the best written thing I've done because I wrote it in about four hours, but I hope the story's ok.  
> If you're confused about the timeline it's essentially this: 2016-JD who is friends with an immortal 2016-Minseok goes back in time and meets 1816-Minseok who doesn't know him yet. His time machine is set so that it can only go backwards in 200s and forwards in 20s so they'll meet every twenty years  
> You can probably see where this is going


	2. 1836

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP Jonghyun, I just heard about it as I was uploading this. You'll be missed so much you bright star

**2007**

The school bell rung to announce it was the end of the day. It didn’t take long for swarms of school children to be hurrying out, in singles, pairs or groups, to go and enjoy the awaiting weekend. Two boys walked out together, pooling the money they had in their pockets to try and afford some spicy rice cake.

“I knew I shouldn’t have left my wallet behind,” the shorter one, with angular cheekbones was saying, “Who knew missing lunch would leave me so hungry.”

“You shouldn’t have made us skip lunch to practice in the music room,” his friend was saying, who had a longer and gentle face.

Jongdae had needed accompaniment to practice his singing, and Yixing was the only one of his musical friends nice enough to agree to do it for him. His brother had snapped at him the day before and told him his singing was terrible (he was probably just mad Jongdae was taking so long in the shower) but it had fuelled a fire inside his dongsaeng and he’d spent so much time practicing they’d missed school lunch, and neither had packed one.

They put together their various notes and coins. Yixing sighed and said, “Just come over to my house and my mom can cook for us. We can practice more, too.

“I’m in the mood for spicy rice cakes now,” Jongdae gave his characteristic pout.

“We can’t afford them. My house is closer so let’s at least go there to pick up some money,” Yixing reasoned, “You know my parents love you.”

It was hard to disagree with that, since the day Yixing had brought his elementary school friend home with him one day his parents had been delighted with him. Looking back, Yixing wondered why his father’s face had lit up when he saw Jongdae. Still, his father was strange, and for many reasons.

His father had once been an immortal, before the Punishment had been lifted from him. Jongdae knew this too, as a close friend of the family it also wasn’t hard to figure out. Zhang Zifeng refused to tell them much about his life though, and the people he had known. All he would say was, “I’ll tell you someday.” And often, he would glance at Jongdae.

“Your parents do love me,” Jongdae was agreeing, “It won’t be long until they adopt me. I’ll look forward to being brothers.”

Yixing only laughed in response and put his money back into his pockets, “I need to start work on your parents so they adore me too, so we’re even.”

“They would trade me for you for a toothpick,” Jongdae laughed, “My father’s terrified I’m going to become an idol. You’re a good aspiring med student.”

“I’d support you if you became an idol,” Yixing said sincerely.

Jongdae swung an arm around Yixing’s shoulders, “This is why you’re the best, hyung!”

They made it to Yixing’s house quickly. Zifeng, the founder of Zhang Company, had money to spare so spent it on a comfortable home for his family. Yixing unlocked the door and walked in.

“Mother! Father! I’m home! I brought Jongdae!”

They took off their shoes as Yixing’s mother came out of the living room to kiss Yixing’s cheek, and then both of Jongdae’s cheeks.

“How lovely to see you, Zhongda,” she said, using his Chinese name, “I was just thinking I’d bought too much food. Your father’s in his study if you want to say hello, he's home for once.” 

Yixing knocked on the door and entered upon hearing the response. Zifeng’s study was always a sight to see. Every time they came in there were different plans on the walls for a complicated looking machine, and photos on the desk dating from the late 1800’s. In most of them he looked seventeen, as he had been seventeen for almost eighty years before his Punishment was lifted. Jongdae knew he was lucky, it was usual for it to last up to five hundred years.

“Welcome home son,” Zifeng said, and smiled to see the other boy, “And my favourite nephew, too.”

"Good afternoon, father," Yixing said, "How has work been?"

"The same, slow," Zifeng said rubbing his eyes.

“What are you working on, uncle?” Jongdae asked eagerly, looking around. Whenever he saw him he was hard at work on blueprints or tinkering with something. Very rarely did Jongdae get a straight answer.

“Just… the usual,” Zifeng said, covering his work with his hands.

Yixing started agitating, “Can’t we tell him, father? He’s basically part of the family!”

“I have reasons, Yixing, and they’re complicated reasons.” His gaze flicked to one of his photos, which Jongdae was pretty sure he had heard him turn downward facing as they came in to hide it. Then he gazed at Jongdae. “Though it would be better for you to know, it’s less than ten years from finally being finished, now.”

“Really, uncle?” Jongdae asked delightedly. Zifeng pulled out an old looking document.

“Here’s the original plan. For the time machine.”

* * *

 

**1836**

Jongdae, of course, eventually became well acquainted with that time machine.

The last thing he saw of 1816 was Minseok and Luhan waving to him, then the startling flash of white, and then the haze cleared and he saw Minseok again.

Minseok’s expression was slightly unreadable, a mixture of surprise and wonder.

“Hyung,” Jongdae asked, “It’s 1836, right?”

Minseok nodded.

The sky had turned grey from the sunny blue it had been a minute ago (twenty years ago, Jongdae reminded himself) and there was a light drizzle of rain falling.

“The machine really does work, Uncle did a good job,” Jongdae said, half to himself. The mood had clearly changed. He supposed it wasn’t strange. Twenty years was most of his entire life time, and it had now passed in a second, while for Minseok he had lived through every second.

“You look exactly the same,” Minseok said.

“So do you,” Jongdae joked.

“You’re mortal, yet, somehow like us too.” Minseok stretched out his shoulders. “Whatever. Hello again, JD. I came like I promised.” JD, yes, his codename.

“You’re still the nicest immortal I know, hyung,” he replied.

Minseok looked up at the wet sky, “We should go before your machine gets damaged by the rain.” The falling drops of water fall onto his cheeks and stuck to his eyelashes. As he stared up into the clouds and even in the miserable lighting he looked ethereal. Beautiful.

Though Jongdae had always thought that, ever since Zifeng introduced him to those five immortals that one day in February.  It was really stupid of him to develop a crush on an immortal. All rules stated immortals and mortals kept separate.

“I agree,” Jongdae picked up his machine again. “Has much changed since I last saw you?”

“Luhan and I are living together again, though he went travelling in Mongolia for about ten years,” Minseok was saying casually. “And I went to France because I decided I wanted to learn French.”

“Bonjour,” Jongdae said, trying not to sound awkward. It was so, so weird. Twenty years had literally passed. His entire lifetime, almost. Luhan had gone to Mongolia for ten years. Jongdae had thought his eighteen-year friendship with Yixing was impressive, but Luhan and Minseok had covered that and however long they had been friends before in the second Jongdae had spent travelling.

 Minseok was sniggering though, “Your accent is terrible. Hurry up before the rain gets worse.” Jongdae hummed and followed him. “By the way, JD, will this mean you can’t charge your machine?”

Jongdae stopped in his tracks. “Aishhh! You’re right! I’m so sorry, hyung, I’ll be staying longer this time!”

“On the contrary,” Minseok said, “It’s a good thing I offered to come see you, or you’d be spending two days or more by yourself.”

Jongdae couldn’t reply for a moment, touched by Minseok’s thoughtfulness. In 2016, Minseok was nice, sure, but distant often. He had never mentioned a past friendship between them, or acted as though they were friends at that time, aside from a few moments were Minseok seemingly accidentally let it slip he was fond of him. He went from distant to close and strangers to friends, it was very odd.

In this time Minseok was more open. He was consistently kind to him all the time, even if he was sullener than in 2016. So Jongdae decided he was just enjoy it. He could address any confusing behaviour once he was back home.

“You’re too nice to me, Minseokkie,” Jongdae said, omitting the hyung purposefully. A ghost of a smile played on Minseok’s lips; he didn’t mind.

“Maybe I am,” Minseok replied, “Let’s keep to the back streets in town. It could be a problem if someone remembers me.”

They only passed one person, a young woman, and though it felt like her eyes followed them she didn’t react otherwise.

They reached the inn where Minseok and Luhan were staying, the innkeeper frowning at Jongdae’s strange clothes. Minseok hurried him up the stairs and into their room. Inside was Luhan, looking largely the same but his hair was cut shorter.

“He turned up then,” he said to Minseok, folding clothes to put them into a case.

Jongdae turned his head to one side as he watched him. “Are you not staying?”

“We’re only staying a night, picking you up and then leaving again. We can’t risk recognition,” Minseok said, “We’ve got a carriage waiting to take us to the next town over.”

“That’s,” Jongdae struggled for words, “So nice of you. You didn’t have to go out of your way like that for me.”

“Hyung insisted,” Luhan said casually, “and a promise is a promise.”

“Luhan-hyung. Do you know what’s coming?”

He looked startled. “What?”

“A group hug.” Jongdae pulled them both into his grasp before they could react or complain. “Thank you hyuuuuungs! I always liked you two more than Junmyeon!” While Luhan remained surprised, Minseok hugged him back, amused.

Jongdae pulled back suddenly. “Let me help you pack! I’m good at folding!” Without waiting for a response, he rapidly started packing the shirts that Luhan had yet to. Luhan turned to look at Minseok, who was wearing the same gaze he had twenty years ago, and hadn’t worn since.

* * *

                                                                                                    

There was one person, not too far away, that wasn’t so merry. In any case, she was very confused. Twenty years ago, those two strange young man had lived in the narrow house on the outskirts. They had lived there seven years, and yet showed no sign of wanting to marry any of the eligible ladies, or even of ageing. This was very strange.

And then, all of a sudden, the one with the soft cheeks (not the one with deer-like eyes) was strolling around town with his new best friend. He had never tried to make friends with anyone in town before, or even gone into town very often. And some people had said that when the friend first walked into town from the fields, he had been dressed _very_ peculiarly, and had been holding a strange object.

The townspeople hadn’t liked it at all, they liked normality. 

Out of nowhere, the two strange men packed up and moved away, citing no reason other than they wanted a change. They weren’t seen again and most people forgot them, except for this young lady. She had been rather in love with the deer-like man, and observed him keenly.

It was this way she noted how he stayed looking the same. He also ignored all her attempts to flirt. Everyone told her she was beautiful, she could have had her choice of anyone in town, yet this man, Luhan she was pretty sure he was called, was immune to her. Why would such a handsome and reasonably well-off man not want to marry? He never called on any families, and only intimately knew his roommate, making more attempt than him to be friendly but not friendly enough to try and marry.

She had been confused by their antics while they lived in the town and heartbroken when he’d moved away.

Yesterday, she saw baozi-cheeks again. Fear started spreading through her body as she observed him. He hadn’t aged. He was the same. Still young, twenty years later.

He was walking with the same stranger he had twenty years ago, who was wearing the same yellow shirt and carrying the same machine. Terrified, she hurried home and told her husband.

“Do you remember those two lonesome young men from twenty years ago?” she said as she stepped through the door. He didn’t look up from his newspaper. “They came back!”

“That’s nice,” he said. “The one you always complained didn’t respond to your advances?”

“And his friend,” she nodded, “ _And_ the one that stayed with them for a day, with the weird yellow clothes and metal box!”

“And why is this such hot news?”

“Because _none of them have aged_. They all look exactly the same!”

He put down his paper at last. “Darling, are you sure? It’s quite possible they just still look good.”

“They should all be in their forties but they look like they’re in their mid-twenties!” she cried, “It’s very startling!”

He was considering it now. “Peculiar indeed…” She could see the cogs in his head turning. Her husband was one that exploited every source of income that he could. “Do you happen to know where they’re staying?”

“The laundress says she saw them at Soo Man’s inn,” she told him.

He folded his paper and stood up. “I say we go and pay them a visit, then.”

* * *

 

Meanwhile, JD was animatedly explaining Darwin’s theory of evolution to the two old men. “That means that only the animals with the most advantageous traits end up surviving to reproduce, while the others die off or they just become separate species,” he was telling them, “I’m surprised you don’t know this yet, I swear Darwin has been born right?”

They didn't respond. “Maybe not. Anyway, anticipate it, the Catholic Church is gonna get really mad!”

“I can imagine,” Minseok said, dazed and not sure how to respond as most of his conversations with the time traveller went.

“Loads of people still refuse to believe we exist for any other reason than God put us here,” JD told them, “Do you two believe in God?”

“We kind of have to,” Minseok said, “He did this to us.” He pulled down his shirt collar to a little to reveal the little infinity symbol under his collarbone. It was the mark of immortals, the brand of the Punishment.

“Oh,” JD said softly, as though he’d forgotten, “Those.”

The infinity symbols became darker as immortals did more wrong, symbolising an extended Punishment, and faded as they began to right their wrongs. Once the punishment was lifted, the symbol disappeared and the person returned to mortality.

The three of them were walking downstairs, making their way out of the inn.

“We assume it’s God anyway,” Luhan added, “It might just be a very sentient specific moral force that did it. They believe in it over in the east, Karma. I’ve heard some immortals say it’s the devil that did it.”

“I can’t believe you believe in a sentient moral force making you live forever but you didn’t believe I could time travel.”

“That was completely different,” Luhan objected, “There’s not room for more than one supernatural phenomenon in the world.”

“Evidently there is,” Minseok gesture between them. The three were rather unaware of being listened to by a man and a woman hiding behind a cart. “Is it still raining? We should have asked to borrow an umbrella.”

“The carriage isn’t waiting too far away. We’re only staying a few miles away, anyway. Minseok and I are currently looking to rehome,” Luhan was saying. “We just didn’t want to stay in this town for more than a night in case anyone recognised us and got suspicious.”

“I’m more suspicious than the two of you put together,” JD was saying, “Even in Minseok-hyung’s clothes.”

“Very suspicious, we can’t wait to get rid of you,” Minseok agreed. JD pouted and punched his shoulder, only getting a laugh in response, a light tinkling and rare sound from Minseok.

“Time travellers and immortals!” the wife was whispering, “Time travellers and immortals!”

“This could be,” the husband was considering, “A great opportunity.”

* * *

 

JD had been staring out of the window of the new inn for almost an hour now. The sky was still emptying its water content, not hard, in fact it was only a drizzle, but no sunlight was breaking through the cloud cover. He watched the rain accusingly. “When will this end? Do weather forecasters exist yet?”

Minseok and Luhan, playing cards, shook their heads.

“I want to _do_ something!”

“We’ll catch colds,” Minseok told him.

JD tilted his head. Minseok thought not for the first time he looked like a cat. “Can immortals get sick?”

“We only can’t die of old age, we can get stabbed to death or fall ill any time,” Minseok corrected him, “Luhannie, stop trying to look at my cards.”

Luhan threw his cards down. “I’m bored.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying!” JD agreed passionately.

“I’m going to take a nap.” He walked over and stretched out on the bed.

“Luhan-hyung that’s even more boring!” JD whined.

“I’m elderly, let me rest.”

“You’re not even!”

“I’m a hundred and fourteen years old!”

“Stop arguing,” interrupted Minseok, “Luhan you nap, JD, I’ll take you for a walk if you really want to go.”

JD already had his coat on and was holding out Minseok’s for him.

The new town they were in wasn’t much different from the one a few miles away. It was slightly smaller, but the roads were cobbled similarly and the houses built in a similar style. It was also slightly harder to find something to do.

“This is almost as boring as the village my grandparents live in,” JD sighed, “It’s better than being inside though, even if my hair gets wet!”

A carriage clattered past them, empty aside from the driver and parked on the side of the road. The driver hopped off and detached it from the horses. Two young men walked through the gate to help him, taking the horses inside.

“That must be the stables,” Minseok mentioned. “I just told the valet to take my horses to the nearest one. I should go check if they’re alright.”

The stables weren’t large, appropriately sized for the town, and it wasn’t hard to locate Siwon and Hoseok, Minseok and Luhan’s horses.

“Can you actually ride them, hyung?” JD asked as Minseok patted them.

“Of course,” Minseok said, as though it was obvious, “You can’t ride?”

“We don’t use horses in the future,” JD said, “We use cars. Some people do still ride horses, but I think it’s just for fun.”

“What on earth is a car?”

“I’m probably not allowed to tell you,” JD said. “But hyung, could you teach me to ride?”

Minseok was about to decline and tell him he was in no way qualified, when he caught sight of JD’s dazzling smile, and found himself not qualified to be able to reject him. “Tomorrow,” he said, “If the weather’s better.”

He found himself enveloped in JD’s arms for that. JD gave hugs like nobody Minseok had known before, warm and tight and meaningful. He didn’t hold back, wasn’t distant, he hugged like he meant it and like he loved you. He found himself saying, “You give good hugs.”

“Babies stop crying when I hold them.”

Minseok wasn’t surprised. As he had twenty years ago, he found himself intoxicated by JD’s presence. The time between their meetings suddenly felt like none at all, even though he knew every minute had been as slow as they always were.

Realising they looked like two full grown men hugging in the middle of stable, he unwillingly pulled himself from JD’s arms.

JD was smiling at him. “You’re really too nice to me hyung. I’ve kind of been clinging on to you because _I_ know _you_ , even though you don’t know me. You really didn’t need to deal with me.”

“JD, I told you the worst thing about being immortal was boredom, right?” JD nodded. “Well, you’re definitely not boring.”

“Aww, hyung! You’re not boring either!”

* * *

 

The next day it had stopped raining, but the sky was still overcast. JD’s emotions couldn’t be dampened though, he was buzzing to start horse riding.

Minseok brought both of them into the fields, one for himself and one for JD. “I still can’t believe you don’t ride horses in the future,” he was saying. Unlike his old home, these fields were vast and hilly, as opposed to sections of meadow and agricultural land.

“They’re quite slow, is the problem,” Jongdae replied.

“Slow?” Minseok said in surprise, “What’s faster?”

JD only shrugged at that, he was unwilling to give away much about the future.

“Whatever, we’ll be going slowly on the horses anyway seeing as you’re an amateur. Choose your favourite, Siwon or Hoseok.”

“I like Siwon,” JD said, patting his nose.

Minseok moved forward and started adjusting the saddle and stirrups for him. “Do you want help getting up?”

“I’m taller than you, hyung,” JD said smugly.

“By about a centimetre,” he poked JD’s side making him step back and giggle, “And it’s harder than it looks.”

“Just tell me what to do, I’m very athletic!”

Minseok sighed, staring at the younger boy in disbelief. He was shifting his weight from foot to foot and grinning a stupidly handsome smile.

He ran a hand through his hair, “Okay. Stand on the horse’s left side.” JD nodded. “Grab the rein with one hand, and the horn of the saddle with the other. It’s that bit- see? Okay, now put one foot in the stirrup- your left foot not right foot, idiot.”

JD grinned sheepishly and switched feet.

“Are you sure you don’t want a hand, Siwon’s tall.”

“I’m fine hyung I promise you can flick me if it doesn’t work out.”

“I’m going to flick you ten times.”

“I’m not going to fall.”

“Pull yourself up in one motion and put your right foot in the right stirrup.”

JD nodded confidently, but the second he tried to pull himself up, Siwon had bored of standing still and stepped forward, throwing JD off his balance and onto the floor. His face was of absolute heartbreak and betrayal.

“Hyung,” he said softly, so sadly Minseok didn’t even feel like flicking him.

He bent down and patted JD’s hair. “I offered you help.” JD simply pouted at him, so Minseok just laughed and stroked his hair again. When JD smiled, it occurred to him how close they were, face to face like that. They were in each other’s space to the extent that he could smell some kind of floral scent coming off of JD’s hair. Like a woman’s, but maybe that was fashion in the future. He stood up quickly and offered a hand to pull JD up.

JD watched him a moment before accepting it.

“Make Siwon be more considerate this time,” he said, putting a hand on his hip expectantly. Siwon bent down and ate some grass, ignoring JD’s disdain.

“Of course, your highness,” Minseok swept a deep bow, “Or, you could be better this time.”

JD stuck his tongue out, but accepted Minseok’s help this time to get on top of the horse. Once he was up, he grinned triumphantly down at the older, eyes wide with delight. “It’s high up, hyung!” he said, and then fished in his pockets for the black rectangle he had used before. “Take a picture of me! Just press the little circle!” He dangled it down in front of Minseok.

Minseok took it, surprised at how light it was, and thin, and also even more surprised to see on its screen JD and the horse, moving in real time to what was pictured. “The circle, hyung!” Minseok simply nodded, lifted it so JD and the horse were in the screen and pressed the circle. This seemed to capture the scene from that second, like a photograph. He handed it back to JD, body coursing with adrenaline.

“Wait until I tell Baekhyun I rode a horse! He’ll think I’m going to work on a farm,” JD was laughing, the noise singing into Minseok’s ears.

“You haven’t ridden a horse yet, you’re just sitting on one,” Minseok corrected him. “Hand me the reigns.” JD did so, and with a gentle tug from Minseok, Siwon walked forwards.

Surprise crossed JD’s featured for just a second, before he was grinning again and laughing. “This is so much fun! I feel like I belong in a period novel!”

“Period?” Minseok asked, looking up at him in confusion.

“Historical period. The past,” he explained, gesturing wildly around himself, “Though it’s the present for you. It’s when authors from my time set their stories in the past.”

They continued for a few paces and then turned around, Minseok explaining to him how to direct the horse which way to go. “I’ll get Hoseok now,” he said.

“Yesss, let’s ride together!” JD enthused, “I bet I could beat you in a race.” An incredulous look from Minseok made him reiterate, “I meant, I would probably lose in a race with you.”

So Minseok laughed and pulled himself in one motion onto the spare horse. JD looked only slightly annoyed that he didn’t fall to the ground himself. He trotted over to where JD waited, and motioned for him to follow. “Let’s go down to that stream and back.”

JD nodded, but only said, “You look manly on a horse.”

Minseok blushed for some reason, and turned to pretend to look for the stream. “It’s just over there.”

JD could only go slowly, looking a little uncomfortable still atop the horse, and especially as Minseok wasn’t the one leading anymore, but still as though he was having the time of his life. His enjoyment was fuelling Minseok’s, who was steadily forgetting he was more than a hundred and thirty years old, and was feeling like he was just an ordinary guy, just out riding with his ordinary friends.

In reality, they were both more than a hundred years away from their birth years and in opposite directions. But for this moment, they could have been anywhere in time, and could still be happy like they were just then.

Eventually they realised they had to turn in, as they were both getting tired and hungry. Just as they headed back, the sun broke through the clouds.

“Looks like I can charge the machine tomorrow,” JD smiled.

Minseok smiled tightly back, before feeling at guilty for wanting to keep JD to himself a little longer, to keep the feeling of having a light heart instead of a heavy one.

“Help me down, hyung,” JD commanded, holding out his arms cutely.

Minseok swung himself down first and then went to Siwon’s left side to help him down. “Don’t slip this time,” he joked, and naturally JD immediately misjudged his weight again, and tumbled over the side of Siwon and on top of Minseok.

Suddenly finding himself on the floor, pinned under an attractive young man, wasn’t how Minseok had seen his day again, and he wasn’t entirely opposed to it, but JD quickly stood up, embarrassed. The loss of his warmth and weight felt painful. “Hyung I’m so sorry! Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine,” Minseok managed, “But I’m not sure if you're cut out for riding.” JD let out a breath of laughter and poked him in his chest, just above his heart.

* * *

 

“Why did you take so long to learn to sit on a horse,” Luhan commented as they returned, much later than he had expected them. Neither replied and just sat down to start eating the food Luhan had ordered in their absence.

A few mouthfuls later JD spoke, “Luhan-hyung, it was so much fun!”

“Was it?” Luhan asked, turning to Minseok, who was looking at JD and smiling. JD looked and smiled back at him, and for a moment Luhan didn’t exist, before he tapped his cup with a spoon. Surprised they both turned to look at him.

JD smiled sheepishly. “What did you do today, hyung?”

Luhan laughed gently, “I went to the library. Your day must have been more interesting than mine.”

“Come with us tomorrow,” JD insisted, “I can share a horse with Minseok!”

Minseok’s expression changed considerably but made no contradictory comments and Luhan raised his eyebrow before chuckling.

“That’s alright, JD, I’m not much for horse riding.”

“I’ll be out of your hair soon anyway,” JD was saying, “It looks like it’ll be sunny tomorrow! Thanks again for looking after me, you two must be the nicest guys I’ve ever met. I can’t imagine why you were given the Punishment.”

“A hundred years gives you time to mellow out,” Luhan reminded him, and JD shrugged. “And anyway, it’s not really meant to be much of a punishment, that’s just what we call it, it’s meant to be a second chance, a good thing in other words.”

“Yeah,” Minseok nodded, “The Punishment is given to mortals who did bad and can’t make it to heaven, but need more than a human lifetime to make up for it and right their wrong before we can be accepted.” He took a sip of his drink. “Naturally, we don’t get to explicitly know what we did wrong and how we can right it. The people I did wrong to are all dead now.”

“Same here,” Luhan nodded, “I’ve got no idea how I’m supposed to fix it.”

JD was about to speak, but Minseok interrupted him, “We’re supposed to figure it out by ourselves anyway. Don’t worry about us, JD, worry about getting back to your own time.”

Minseok remembered clearly what he had done wrong. All the hearts he had broken through his life, and then more even after he was given the Punishment. He’d done it purposefully too, with no remorse, filled with anger in his youth. Luhan had never told him what he’d done himself, and he’d never asked, and didn’t see any reason to now either.

There was only one large bed in the room, but somehow with the three of them it didn’t feel awkward, even when JD decided he wanted to cuddle and swung an arm over him. Luhan, lying on Minseok’s other side, smirking did the same. JD didn’t move away when Luhan did.

The next morning, he put his yellow jumper back on and they walked him out to the field. He put his machine onto the grass and opened up the flaps again.

They sat with him that day, instead of wondering away again, waiting for it to charge. They watched the clouds, laughed and shared stories. JD’s were the most interesting, he and his friend Baekhyun throwing “water balloons” at Junmyeon, skateboarding with Yixing in the middle of the night and impromptu games of basketball.

Luhan started opening up too, describing his home town and his childhood friends, and how there had been a girl in his school group when he was about six who had started showing boys her bottom for candies, and how his school master had been so shocked he couldn’t even find the words to expel her.

Minseok was struck with the feeling he’d had earlier that day, that they could just be three friends lying here on the grass, not two immortals and a time traveller, thirty and then several hundred years apart in age. As the prospect of JD leaving got closer, the dark clouds started edging back into his chest, where lightness had reigned for the few days JD had been there again.

The machine suddenly gave a ding sound, and JD peered at it to happily announce it was 100%. “I’ll repay you two someday,” he said cheerfully, standing up and fiddling with the controls again.

Minseok tried to control the surge of upset that was swarming him, but he managed a smile as JD grinned at him.

“Hug goodbye, Minseokkie-hyung?”

He opened his arms wordlessly and JD stepped into them happily, clutching him close. Minseok was met with the familiar addictive feeling of JD’s close presence, and the hurt of pulling apart again. Then JD winked, pressed a button on the machine, a flash of white light and he was gone. Just like that, with the ease of knowing it would only be a second to see them again, while it was twenty long more years for the two immortals.

The field was empty aside from him and Luhan, and again it was as if they boy had never been there.

“Be careful, Minseokkie-hyung,” Luhan said.

“Why?”

“You’ll fall in love with him.”

“Says who?” Minseok snapped. He’d never fallen in love in his life, not with anyone he’d gotten remotely close with, and he wasn’t about to start.

Luhan shrugged, “Fine. It’s just you look happier when he’s here, and then gloomier than before when he’s gone again.”

Minseok pushed his shoulder lightly, and then turned back to the houses, Luhan following, and neither noticing that they were being watched.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter out! Thanks for all the kudos and comments so far! I have basically the entire story planned out, and anything complicated will be explained later. I spent three hours planning the chronological story line, and then sorting everything out into chapters, so all loose ends will be tied! 
> 
> I'm also really sorry for calling the horses Siwon and Hoseok if anyone's like super offended I'll rename them lol


	3. 1856

**1856**

Minseok and Luhan had had a lot of spare time in their lives, and either spent it doing absolutely nothing and pretending to be ordinary mortals, or often they travelled to any corner of the world they could reach. One place they couldn’t before was the island of Japan, which had been in a long seclusion. Just recently its borders had been opened again, and they had two months before they were set to see JD again, so decided to go and visit it together. They hadn’t seen _each other_ for about five years, and there was a seven-year gap before that, but somehow the two friends always liked to reconvene at some point.

Even in their long lives they still rarely saw other immortals than themselves. They were usually able to recognise them, be it instinct, or the tiredness they carried in their eyes.

The most telling feature was obviously the symbol branding their skin, but this was most often hidden under clothing.

The last immortal Minseok had seen hadn’t wanted company. He was stuck at the physical age of 85 and had outlived great-grandchildren. It was times like that Minseok was glad he was stuck at a young age, and not trapped in an old body, just before the opportunity to enter heaven. The old man had found it too painful to be around his family and watch them die, so he wondered the earth by himself, desperately trying to find a way to right his wrong.

He and Luhan knew each other well, they might have been friends even meeting as mortals. He was a good companion to spend long amounts of time with. They caught an American ship to the island, listening to passengers complaining of seasickness and fights between sailors as they sat quietly not drawing attention to themselves.

Japan itself was an intriguing place, with unique architecture, mountains and plains and very polite, quiet peoples that tended to shy away from the visitors.

It was for this reason that a man standing a little way away from them stood out so much. He was tall, above six feet, and he walked with a confidence lacked by everyone around him. He had a handsome face, not Japanese, and stood and spoke to people with casual ease. When he turned to look at them, Minseok saw no tiredness in his eyes. He must have seen it them, however, because he smiled and walked over.

“You too?” he asked, pulling down the collar of his shirt to reveal the infinity symbol etched onto his skin like a brand.

Both were too bewildered by his impressive countenance to respond verbally. Minseok pulled down his own shirt collar while Luhan just nodded.

The man beamed at them and his image changed immediately. “I hadn’t met any other immortals yet! Coincidence we both decided to come here, isn’t it? I’d always wanted to but it seemed like it was entirely closed off.” He held out a hand, “I’m Park Chanyeol, 46 years old, physically 23.”

That explained his lack of tiredness, he was practically a baby compared to the two that stood before him.

Minseok shook the offered hand. “Kim Minseok, physically 26 and I’ve forgotten how old I actually am.” Chanyeol’s eyes widened a little at that, impressed.

“Lu Han,” the other cut in, “Also physically 26 and actually a hundred and thirty-four. Minseok is being dramatic, he’s roughly thirty years older than me. Don’t think he must be thousands of years old just because he’s too stupid to remember his own birthday.”

Chanyeol laughed, a loud and bright one that reminded Minseok suddenly of JD’s. “Wow, you two have had the Punishment for a while. I guess I’m fairly new to it, still.” His face looked incredibly young then, like a puppy’s as he looked sunnily at his two new hyungs. Minseok wondered how long it would be before his eyes lost their exuberance. “What bought you to Japan?”

“Same reason as you,” said Minseok, “We’d never travelled here before, and suddenly had the opportunity.”

“Have you gone walking in the mountains yet? I keep meaning to but it seemed kind of lonely by myself.” His eyes had gone puppy-like again. Minseok had to remind himself this was technically a forty-six-year-old.

So, Chanyeol joined their party of two. His personality was very different to the rather quiet, understated temperance of the older immortals. Chanyeol was energetic and funny. He was confident too, quite cool, and one evening over dinner even asked them what their Punishment had been for.

While Luhan didn’t answer, Minseok said truthfully, “I broke a few too many hearts, on purpose, and left a few people’s lives difficult.” That was, affairs with girls thus ruining their chances of marriage. A twinge of guilt stuck his heart.

Chanyeol’s eyes had widened. “Hyung! My reason is a bit similar!”

_Park Chanyeol had been the star of the village. He was sporty, charismatic and handsome, but arrogant too. He cared most about his looks and reputation, forgetting about family and friends._

_“You never had and never could love anyone,” his father accused him one day, as he dumped another girlfriend after getting bored of her._

_Chanyeol didn’t disagree, and the next day he woke with the symbol settled on his chest._

“I didn’t love anyone sincerely,” he was explaining, “But so far I haven’t found the Punishment that bad! I’ve just been using the time to explore the world, and I assume all I have to do to lift it is love someone, anyway.”

“You’re very cocky,” Luhan commented.

Minseok didn’t say anything, but knew Chanyeol’s opinion wouldn’t hold for long. He’d held it, back then, that immortality was a good thing. He could stay young and not die, being able to live a wild young man’s life for as long as possible. He knew it wouldn’t be long before Chanyeol grew bored too, as all immortals did, and joined the ranks of the grumpy old men eternally patrolling the earth.

When a week had passed, Minseok was getting antsy to leave. He wasn’t sure how long the journey back to the town he had lived in forty years ago would take, and if he missed JD this time he would need to wait another twenty years to see him again.

Meeting JD was something that with immediate effect banished darkness from Minseok’s mind, leaving him feeling like he was actually twenty-six again, but a better person, not like the selfish man he’d been.

“You’re leaving so soon?” Chanyeol looked surprised and disappointed.

“We’re meeting a friend,” Minseok explained, “I can only see him once every twenty years, it’s important I don’t miss him.”

Seeing Chanyeol’s kicked puppy expression, Luhan said, “Come with us, and then we can revisit Japan some other time if you want to see more of it.” The younger’s expression immediately cleared, and so on the return ship it was the three of them making the journey together.

* * *

 

June 5th 1856 came at last, twenty years exactly since they had last seen JD, and the three were standing in the empty field once more. Chanyeol seemed rather cynical that a man from the future was going to appear in a flash of white light holding a time machine, but being rather laid back was prepared to believe it when he saw it.

Minseok’s heart had started beating with increasing speed, each second feeling agonizingly long as they awaited the arrival. It was definitely the right day, he’d written it down so he wouldn’t forget it, and Luhan remembered too with his good memory.

“Where is he?” Chanyeol asked.

The words must have held a kind of magic, because immediately they heard the characteristic whirring noise, and then came the bright flash. Chanyeol’s jaw dropped, and standing before them, identical to how he’d been twenty years before, was JD.

His eyes immediately sought one person out. “Minseokkie-hyung!” he said happily, “You’re here again!”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Minseok said before his mouth could filter the sentimental words out. JD’s smile only grew.

Next to them, “You guys weren’t kidding,” said Chanyeol, staring at JD in wonder. JD turned to look at him then, and to Minseok’s surprise cried out in delight.

“Chanyeol-ssi!”

“You know me?” Chanyeol asked blankly, all cockiness wiped from his face.

_Jongdae knew Chanyeol very well. They’d only met a few months before, but the two had similar personalities and interests and grew close quickly. Even though Chanyeol sometimes looked like and sniggered like he knew some sort of secret, Jongdae liked and trusted him a lot._

_Furthermore, was the fact that upon meeting him, his best friend Baekhyun had essentially fallen head over heels, and Jongdae had been subject to many plans to try and catch Chanyeol. It hadn’t been necessary in the end, Chanyeol seemed to like him just as much._

_It wasn’t long at all until Chanyeol looked in the mirror and saw under his right collarbone only empty skin. His Punishment had been lifted._

Naturally, he couldn’t tell past Chanyeol all of that, so said, “You still hang out with Minseok and Luhan in the future, so yeah!”

Minseok felt a little twinge of annoyance that he wasn’t getting JD’s full attention, and Chanyeol who was enthralled by JD continued to monopolise it. Minseok and Luhan hadn’t given him the full story of their meeting JD and he was quickly giving Chanyeol the run down.

Like how he had when he first met Minseok, he talked and acted casually as though they were good friends, not like they had only just met. But unlike Minseok, Chanyeol immediately responded similarly, chatting as though they were long since friends, not treating him like the stranger he technically was as Minseok and Luhan had. And JD, who Minseok had waited so patiently for, was barely looking at him.

They talked all the way through the fields.

“Do you like music?” Chanyeol was asking.

“We play together all the time, Chanyeollie,” JD was responding. “I sing and you play the instrument!”

“Do pianos still exist in the future?”

“Yeah! But you play all kinds of things now, some of them haven’t even been invented yet.”

“Like what,” Chanyeol’s eyes were shining at the possibility of new instruments.

“I can’t tell you, but you play them well!”

The sun broke through the clouds and JD was distracted for a moment. “I should find somewhere to leave the machine so it can charge. Where are you guys staying?”

“We’re renting a cottage from a farmer,” Luhan told him, “His gardener just quit so it was empty.”

“Wow,” JD said, “Every time I get here we’ll be staying somewhere a little more upmarket. I guess you guys have been making money for twenty more years every time I come by.”

They approached the carriage that was going to take them there. JD paused, a little frown playing on his face. He was looking at the horses, upset, and turned to Minseok, “Are Siwon and Hoseok gone?”

Minseok nodded, “They didn’t die in my care. I moved to Spain shortly after you left and couldn’t take Siwon with me, so left him with a family.”

“And Hoseok?”

“Even before that the army came and took him,” Minseok said, “They paid me good money, and they weren’t the first regiment to ask for him either.”

“I guess armies just like Hoseok,” said Luhan.

“That’s so sad,” JD looked downcast, “Even though I fell off Siwon twice. He was so tall.”

“You’re just short,” Chanyeol said. JD looked up in annoyance at Chanyeol.

“You’re the anomaly here, us three are all the same height!”

“Chanyeol’s just an annoying giant,” Minseok added. Chanyeol just stuck out his tongue, not one to be bothered to comments like that. “JD-ah, don’t you want to know what I’ve been up to?”

JD’s eyes lit up, “Minseokkie-hyung! I didn’t ask! Blame Chanyeol, he distracted me and made me ignore my favourite immortal!” He took hold of Minseok’s arm, who was trying hard not to smile too widely, “What did you do while missing me?”

As Minseok happily went into his recap, Chanyeol made eye contact with Luhan, his lips quirking into an amused smile. Luhan lifted his eyebrows in response.

“What’s going on between them,” he asked quietly.

“God knows. But something is. Minseok’s smile only reaches his eyes when JD is here.”

It was becoming routine now, Minseok was gloomy as usual for 20 years, and then lit up like the sun when JD strolled into their time. Chanyeol nodded shortly, and then keyed back into the others’ conversation.

“So how many languages do you speak now, then, hyung?” JD was asking, “If you learnt Spanish while I was gone. You lived in France too, right?”

“I also know Mandarin, Korean, English and I picked up some Icelandic when I was trying my hand at being a whale fisher a long while ago,” Minseok counted on his fingers, “So that’s five so far!”

“How did being a whale fisher go?”

“It was super cold every day, the whales were heavy and then a volcano exploded so I left again,” Minseok said, pulling a face, “The waterfalls were very beautiful though. I met an immortal over there who’d been farming sheep and feeding puffins for almost five hundred years.”

“Wow, Minseokkie,” JD said in wonder, “One day I’m going to go visit all the places you mentioned. When we’re both back in 2016 let’s go together!”

2016, of course. In the year 2016 Minseok and JD knew each other. They were friends, as JD said. And JD never left for twenty years, assumedly, just lived as usual. And they were friends. Just friends.

Minseok gently detached his arm from JD’s grip, ignoring the little pout, “Look, here’s the carriage.” He was worried Luhan’s words from back in 1836, which had stuck to him like glue, might be in danger of coming true, and seeing as JD had shown no interest in him now _or_ in the future, it was better to stay a little distant.

 

Something else had stuck to the immortals like glue for twenty years, and that was two mortals who had been tracking them and preparing for this moment.

Actually, the man and woman had died tragically of scarlet fever three years earlier, but their last request had been heard sincerely by their son, who had grown up dreaming of time travel and was ready to finish what they had started.

Now the man in the ugly yellow jumper had re-arrived, on the day they said he would, and the immortals had appeared too like clockwork. One difference was they had a tall man with them now, who looked a little scary compared to the soft faces of the shorter immortals he’d been told about, but he knew the plan must go ahead.

Nothing was going to stop Huang Zitao from travelling through time.

* * *

 

The four companions were rather unaware of this, Luhan and Minseok thinking they’d been perfectly sneaky over the past forty years, covering their tracks and keeping JD a secret.

The cottage they’d rented from the farmer was small with only two rooms, but for four young men only staying a night or two it was fine. There were fireplaces in both rooms and a tiny kitchen. The sun was out and there was a small garden where JD had left his machine to charge.

“One annoying thing about getting your own place is cooking for yourself,” Luhan sighed as he fiddled with the appliances.

“I can cook,” Chanyeol piped up, “I trained in Paris for two years!”

Luhan gave him the thumbs up. “Cool, you’re in charge of the kitchen. I’m going to take a nap then.” He hit Minseok on the way past when the older muttered something about spending half his eternal life napping.

JD was sitting on an arm chair pouting again. “You guys have all done such cool stuff in your lives. You make me feel lame. Minseokkie was a whale hunter, Chanyeol studied cooking in Paris, Luhan probably did something cool.”

“He taught ballroom dancing in Vienna for ten years,” Minseok said after a moment’s thought. “He’s always said he’ll go back when he’s sure everyone’s forgotten him. He was quite famous was the problem, so he needs to wait a while before going back.”

JD was struck with the thought of the perpetually-napping, low-key scary Luhan being a serious ball dancer, and somehow found the images matched. “He must have looked handsome.”

“He’s always had a problem with women wanting to marry him all the time,” Minseok agreed. “The rich families used to fight each other to have him as their son-in-law. I think he eventually just lied and said he was betrothed, and when he left after ten years old them he was heading home to marry her.”

“What a problem to have,” Chanyeol sighed, “In my town the girls liked me but their fathers hated me. JD-ah, have you ever had a close encounter with matrimony?”

“Marriage isn’t such a big deal anymore,” he replied, “And you usually date for like at least a year before getting married. Also, parent’s permission isn’t technically needed, women aren’t seen as objects to give and take. I had a couple of girlfriends in high school though- oh, that’s what you call the girl you’re seeing romantically. Boyfriend if it’s a boy.”

Culture shock had silenced Chanyeol and Minseok.

“If we had been born in JD’s time,” Minseok finally said, “Would we have been given the Punishment?” Seeing women and not marrying them had been a huge factor in him receiving it, and Chanyeol too.

“People see each other casually now,” JD agreed. “Though most people agree marriage is best if you want children. But women having children without getting married is like, fine.”

“But who provides for them?”

“They either provide for themselves or the dad helps raise the kid.”

Minseok blinked, “So a man and a woman can have a child without getting married, and not even get married after the child is born and no one cares? And the man doesn’t even need to be in the picture?”

“The woman doesn’t need to be in the picture, lots of men are singled dads,” JD nodded.

Chanyeol blew out a long stream of air. “Keep these ideas out of fine society, JD, you’ll make people faint.” He raised his arms above his head and stretched. “I’m going to go take a walk, you guys.”

Minseok was thus left alone in the little room with JD, who was playing with the tassels on the armchair. It felt strange to see him again after twenty years, and that he just slipped with ease back into his life like he’d never left.

JD really was like sun. He was bright and warm and thawed out Minseok’s usually icy heart. He also left as quickly as he came, plunging life back into darkness, but to see him return felt natural and casual, and suddenly it was like he was never gone.

He looked up to find Minseok staring at him, and grinned, making Minseok’s heart feel both light as air and full up. Neither looked away, just taking in the other’s presence as they stared, an unspoken connection tightening between them.

An eternity could have passed when Chanyeol walked back in, snapping them back to reality. He was frowning. “JD, didn’t you leave your machine next to the flower bed?”

“Yeah.”

Chanyeol’s forehead creased further. “It’s gone.”

JD’s face fell dramatically. “Gone?”

“It’s gone. So is one of hyung’s horses.”

* * *

 

The second Chanyeol had said “It’s gone,” Jongdae felt his veins turn to ice, and panic set in his bones.

Gone?

Gone?

That meant he couldn’t get back to the future. That meant he was stuck in the past, he was going to die in the past. Minseok, Luhan and Chanyeol would leave him, immortals didn’t stick around mortals.

He was never going to see his friends again. Oh God. Poor Jongin would probably feel really bad. He’d never see his parents again, or Yixing or Baekhyun or future Minseok and Luhan and people.

If he died in the past, they would live to the year 2016 and meet him again before he travelled back. Maybe that was why Minseok hyung was always so distant to him, because he’d seen him die a hundred and fifty years before?

His brother had gotten engaged a few months before, he was going to miss the wedding.

He leapt to his feet and flew out the door to see where he had left his time machine, near the flower bed next to the path, out of the way that the tree’s shadow would move with the sun.

The spot was empty.

Pressure built behind his eyes as he started saying in panic, “Did someone move it? Luhan’s napping, did he move it before that?” His eyes started watering, “Why would somebody take it?” Minseok was by his side in a flash when he saw the tears forming, dabbing them with a handkerchief and putting his arm around his shoulder.

“It’ll be alright JD, we’ll find it. Maybe a fox or something knocked it over and it rolled away.”

Being a box like object it was unlikely it rolled away, but Jongdae sniffed and nodded anyway. Luhan was woken up and helped them search the yard for a few minutes.

“Did you say a horse was taken too, Yeollie?” he asked. Chanyeol nodded. “We’ll follow the horse tracks. I did a lot of it when I was living in Mongolia. You two stay here while we ask around in town.” He gave Minseok a meaningful look which actually meant _comfort him_. He and Chanyeol quickly followed the tracks on the remaining horse.

Jongdae was staring into space, fear still rampant in him. Minseok was next to him again, a presence that usually made him tingle with happiness, and his hand was on his back. “It’s going to be ok, JD,” he said in his soft voice. “It can’t have gone far. We won’t let you get stuck here.”

At these words Jongdae turned to look at him, and even a moment like this couldn’t will away his stupid crush. In the future, where Minseok was kind of aloof to him, he’d had a hard time controlling his feelings. Now here in the past where the immortal was kind to him and attentive they were going pretty out of orbit and flying chaotically into space.

“I can’t think why someone would’ve taken it,” Minseok was continuing, “The farmer was this gentle old man, and we’re way out in the middle of nowhere. There aren’t thieves or bad types, and the machine from the outside looks like a piece of junk anyway.”

“What do I do if I get stuck here?” Jongdae asked, his voice feeling small and pathetic. He didn’t know how to live in the year 1856, or anyone besides the immortals.

“We’ll look after you, obviously,” Minseok said immediately, chasing away any of Jongdae’s fears of being abandoned. “We only avoid mortals to try and prevent an attachment forming.” He patted Jongdae’s hair. “If the attachment’s already formed, there’s no getting rid of us.”

The younger smiled weakly at that.

“And anyway,” Minseok said, “We’re going to find the machine, so it doesn’t matter.” Minseok was slowly being overcome with the feeling that he would really do anything for JD, no matter what it was.

* * *

 

The horse tracks were deep and spread apart, suggesting that whoever had taken the mare had gone fast. They were presumably trying to make a quick escape, which made Luhan further believe whoever had taken the horse was the thief. Naturally, there was also the possibility that it was just a simple horse thief, and the missing machine was a coincidence, but Luhan thought it was a little _too_ much of a coincidence to be so.

He was filled with motivation that he didn’t really understand to help JD. JD was closer with Minseok definitely, but he’d always been just as friendly to Luhan too. He had this genuine and caring personality, and even though they didn’t know each other well Luhan wanted to help him.

The tracks led them to the town and disappeared as mud roads turned to cobbled streets. They jumped off their own horse, Luhan looking around quickly and Chanyeol rushing to question passers-by.

“Have you seen a man on a horse?” he panted urgently. The townsperson pointed weakly at Luhan. “Besides him! A person on a black horse carrying a metal box-thing?”

A young boy standing nearby piped up, “I did! The man was riding really fast, he looked cool!”

“Which direction?” Chanyeol asked, Luhan coming up behind him. The boy pointed down a side street and the two immortals leapt back on the horse and galloped down the street the boy had gestured to. It was narrow and uneven and the horse evidently wasn’t comfortable, but Luhan had spent ten years on the Mongolian plains with horse nomads, and was as good a rider as they came.

 He was going quick enough and Chanyeol had noted the disappearance of the machine fast enough that not too far ahead they could hear the gallop of another horse. Luhan increased speed, chasing it as fast he could.

The person couldn’t run forever, and not against a rider like Luhan. It occurred to him that with two riders they might be more weighed down, so lest he be forced to push Chanyeol off (he wasn’t 100% beyond that) he wanted to catch up quickly.

The rider ahead was definitely slowing down, but something about the sound of the horse’s hooves put Luhan off a bit. They sounded a little too light.

His fear was confirmed as they caught up. It was his horse, definitely, but there was no rider.

“He got off and made the horse run away,” he realised.

Chanyeol groaned and Luhan immediately tried to turn their horse around, but the narrow street made it difficult. As soon as it was done they sped away again, this time looking for a man on foot. Their wild goose chase had lost them time, but the town wasn’t big and there was no way he could evade them forever.

He paused the horse to yell at a woman leaning out her window, “Have you seen a man carrying a metal box?” She pointed down a lane, one that only humans could get through.

“I don’t want to lose the horse,” Luhan said, “You run down there, I’ll try and find which street it lets out to.”

Chanyeol swung himself off the horse and ran at full speed down the pathway, straining his eyes and ears for any hint of the thief, but he could only hear his own panting and loud footsteps echoing off the walls of buildings on either side of him. His long legs did him justice, but he found himself at a fork in the road.

“Left or right, left or right,” he muttered to himself, “Fuck it.” He ran left and continued down that way for quite a while, meaning if it were the wrong way there was little chance he’d be able to catch up by changing direction.

He turned a corner and slapped his palm against his head. It was a dead end. He stopped to catch his breath, but he knew there wasn’t any chance of catching up now. Still, he only stayed standing for a moment before beginning the chase once more.

 

On horseback Luhan wasn’t having a better time. The roads were twisted and confusing, and it was midday so people were filling the streets and heading home for lunch.

“Excuse me, excuse me,” he said, feeling increasingly stressed as person after person walked across the horse’s path. He gritted his teeth and weaved around people, ignoring calls to him to buy something and cries of annoyance as he forced people out of the way.

He was good with directions though, and seeing as he had made a left before to get out here, hopefully a right at that corner over there might lead him to intercept the thief. As soon as the crowds as thinned he was able to speed up again, going the way that he hoped would lead him to where the thief had gone.

Alas, more empty side streets, narrow and winding.

He desperately looked at road signs. Town centre, no, school house, no, church no- stables! Instinct told him the thief had gotten off the horse as a diversion, and now might be searching for a fresh one to finish the escape on. He accelerated in the direction of the stables on a road that was thankfully flatter and wider than ones he had previously been riding on. It let out onto a wide main road, and he saw a second sign to the stables pointing to the right. He road on across the road and down it, stopping outside the gate where the owner was standing.

“Did you just lend a horse?” he asked immediately.

“Why yes,” he owner replied, looking confused. His eyes flicked to Luhan’s horse, “Do you need one?”

“No, no,” Luhan shook his head, “Was he carrying a strange object?”

“A metal box with lots of and knobs and things, yes.”

Fire relit in Luhan’s exhausted body, “Which way did he go?”

“He was asking where the nearest port was,” the owner looked bewildered at all the action taking place in the usual sleepy town, “I told him how to get there.”

“Tell me,” Luhan said, “And if I give you this,” he pulled out some money, “Please send a note to the gardener’s cottage on the nearby farm saying to wait for me and where I’ve gone.”

* * *

 

JD and Minseok received the note twenty-five minutes later, followed shortly by the arrival of a distressed Chanyeol, who was leading the horse that had been stolen from them shortly before.

“I lost him,” he said apologetically, “And Luhan.”

“He went to the port,” Minseok said, “He had a note sent. It said to wait for him.”

“The thief is making a real run for it,” Chanyeol flopped onto a seat, “This must have been organised. How many times have you been to this area?”

“This is the third time,” said an uncharacteristically miserable JD, who was curled on the couch with a cup of tea. “I didn’t think anyone had been watching us that carefully, though.”

Minseok squeezed his shoulder, getting a weak smile in response. JD stayed quiet as he and Chanyeol started discussing things.

“If Luhan isn’t able to apprehend him we’ll take the next ship going to the same place,” Minseok said, “We won’t let JD get stuck here.” A gentle, selfish corner of him was saying that would mean he got to keep him, but the rest of Minseok barred against it furiously.

“Luhannie seems pretty capable and fiery too,” Chanyeol said, “I wouldn’t put it past him to catch up! He’s terrifying too, I bet he’ll give the thief hell.”

“Yeah, and his horsemanship is unmatched, no one can outrun him except the Mongolian nomad who trained him,” Minseok nodded in agreement.

There was a short lull in the conversation as they ran out of things to say, before JD spoke. “Guys,” his voice was quiet.

“What is it?” he had Minseok’s attention immediately.

“If… If I get stuck here,” he began, “And even if you look after me, in sixty years or so I die of old age…”

“JD don’t talk like that,” Minseok began, but JD continued.

“If I die here, I have friends waiting for me in 2016.” He sniffed, “C-could I leave a note with you to give to them, apologising and saying goodbye.” His eyes watered, “And one for my parents too, and my brother. I should write a congratulations note for his wedding too.”

The two immortals didn’t speak for a moment in the heavy silence. When Minseok did speak, his voice was full of conviction. “He can’t run forever, not from us. If he tried to hide in Hell, I’ll follow him down and get the machine for you, okay? And if it’s destroyed, I’ll build you a new one!” Minseok’s usually slightly glum, cool, tired eyes were fiery. Nothing was going to stop him from getting JD’s smile back, which had been so cruelly stolen by a selfish time-machine thief.

At this JD finally smiled, and Minseok smiled back, and Chanyeol felt intensely like he was intruding.

 

Luhan returned after dark, his arrival marked by a horse’s footsteps coming towards the cottage. They rushed outside. He was empty handed, Jongdae noticed with a heavy heart.

“I know where he’s gone,” Luhan began, “Ireland. He was catching a ferry to Dublin, I just missed him.” Luhan sighed as he went indoors to sit down.

“Does this all seem organised to you too, Luhan-hyung?” Chanyeol asked.

“Well he arrived to steal the machine with just enough to time to catch a ferry to Dublin he must have bought a ticket for in advance, so I’m thinking this is at least twenty years in the making,” Luhan replied. “Probably more than one person involved. The news about a time machine must have gotten out, and anyone would be interested in it.”

He saw JD’s sullen face. “There’s another boat leaving at dawn. I have tickets, we’re leaving now.”

“We are?” JD asked, eyes flicking up.

“We’ll definitely get your machine back, no matter what.”

* * *

 

The four of them packed quickly. JD didn’t have anything anyway, and the other three hadn’t had much chance to unpack beforehand. They picked up fresh horses from the town and had left before the clock had struck midnight.

“Chanyeol,” JD said quietly to him as the carriage clattered through the darkness, “Thank you for all your help, but don’t feel obliged to just because you’re here.”

“Shush, JD, I’m having the best fun of my life,” Chanyeol replied with a grin. “Also, I like you, so it’s not annoying.”

They smiled at each other in the darkness. JD was sat next to Minseok, and Chanyeol next to Luhan. Both elders were asleep.

“JD,” Chanyeol asked, “In the future… What are things like between you and Minseok?”

The question had an effect on JD’s features, which faltered just a little before he replied. “He was polite to me. I would never have guessed that we were so close in his past by how little he addressed me, but looking back it makes more sense. Sometimes he looked at me like… Like he really liked me, but then didn’t act like it.”

“Did you like him?”

“Loads,” JD admitted immediately. “I thought I liked him more than he liked me, but now I see it was the other round.” He laughed. “I didn’t know who he was, and he’d been through all of this with me.”

“And what about me and you, are we friends?”

“You were nice to me from the start,” JD told him, “You acted like we already knew each other, which confused me a little at the time but I didn’t mind. You spoke to me casually, not like a stranger.”

“You did the same when we met yesterday,” Chanyeol reminded him. It felt strange to have only met JD yesterday, and already so much had happened.

Minseok let out a little snore, and his head tipped softly onto JD’s shoulder, who immediately smiled at the contact. He glanced at Chanyeol who was smirking. JD winked at him, causing Chanyeol’s smile to grow.

“I’m rooting for you,” he said.

Jongdae simply laughed quietly. He hasn’t confirmed or denied anything, and just looked out the window. He knew Minseok couldn’t like him back, if he did there was no way he could’ve been so aloof to him in 2016. And there was no hope between them anyway, an immortal and a mortal. It was only destined for heart break. That didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy the warmth of Minseok’s breath against his shoulder though.

Chanyeol and Jongdae nodded off soon after. The sun was threatening to rise when he was shaken awake by Minseok, who had risen some time before him. He made no mention of having slept most of the night on Jongdae’s shoulder, so he didn’t either and instead stretched out his sore limbs as he stepped out of the coach.

The morning air was crisp and the sky lightening. Luhan was talking to a sailor, and then waved the three others over. “We’re on that boat over there,” he said.

A gentle breeze blew the salty smell of the ocean to Jongdae. He found that the longer he stayed in the past the more he didn’t mind it, with its cleaner air and quaint feel. When the immortals’ backs were turned he took a quick picture on his phone of the sunrise and then jogged to catch up with them.

They boarded with no trouble, and found a spot out on deck to sit together as the sky went from navy to lighter navy to various shades of pink and orange before going to a pale morning blue.

“I’ve never been to Ireland,” Minseok said absently.

“You’ve been alive more than 150 years, have seen the four corners of the earth, but never Ireland,” Jongdae asked in disbelief.

“All I’ve heard is it rains a lot and they drink a lot,” Minseok said. Luhan opened is mouth as if to contradict him, but then closed it again.

In the good weather the boat sailed easily through the waves, it only getting a bit greyer and choppier as they neared Ireland. It didn’t look particularly impressive, just green hills and houses.

They were nice hills though, and Jongdae thought that if he was here under different circumstances he might enjoy the scenery more. But being back on the same land as the thief, his anxiety was returning. He just needed to get his machine back, and everything would be fine again.

Stepping onto land again after being on the boat felt a bit weird and he wobbled, latching onto Minseok’s side, who travelled by sea often.

“How can you be so unused to it,” he accused, “Haven’t you been on a boat?”

“Yeah, but only short distances or for fun,” JD replied, and deciding to tease them added, “We mostly travel by air now. Much faster.”

This got all three of their attention. “Air? Like air balloon?”

“No, very different,” JD said casually, “Just three hundred people in a metal cylinder flying through the air.” They were staring at him in disbelief. “Well, the cylinder has wings, of course.”

“I’ve decided to stop listening,” Luhan announced. “How are we going to continue tracking this guy?”

“Which boat did he get on?” Chanyeol asked, looking around the port. “Is it here?”

Luhan scanned the area around them quickly, going over the various ships. “It was called, like, the Heather Toe or something.” He found it, “The Heatherthrow! It’s over there!”

They scurried over to it as though it might just sail away there and then, but clearly it was under works at that moment wouldn’t be budging for a while.

“Chanyeol has the pleasantest face, go and schmooze them,” Luhan ordered.

“You’re the prettiest, hyung,” Chanyeol frowned, confused.

“You’ve got the charisma though,” he snapped, “Also don’t call me pretty, I’m manly.”

“Sure thing, hyung,” Chanyeol said, sniggering when Minseok mouthed _“pretty”_ to him behind Luhan’s back. He jogged over closer to the boat, calling up to them and asking for the captain. The captain was apparently at the port’s main office. They went to the port’s main office to find the captain and asked if he’d seen a man with a metal box. He said he had but hadn’t spoken to him, but he’d seen him talking to the assistant secretary. They asked where the assistant secretary was, the captain didn’t know. The second assistant secretary knew, and said he was at a pub. They asked which pub, she said she didn’t know. The captain said the most likely pub that he’d be in was the Yacht Tavern, which was just across the River Liffey.

“This isn’t fun and action packed anymore,” Chanyeol complained, “This is boring. It’s just a lot of asking people things.”

It was ten-minute walk to the Yacht Tavern, and it wasn’t hard to find. They peeked inside to see it not too full. The main customers seemed to be men in sailor’s uniforms, and then one man in the corner in a suit and with a pen and paper. Chanyeol approached him quickly.

“Are you Jonathan Hegarty?” he asked.

“To be sure,” was the reply. He looked at the four faces staring at him in anticipation. “What can I do for you?”

“Did you speak to a man holding a metal box that was on the ship Heatherthrow?”

“Oh, yes, I believe I did,” Jonathan scratched his head, “He wanted quick passage to Cork. Do you know the fella?”

“Yes. We’d also like to go to Cork,” Luhan said shortly.

“I can arrange transport, it’s about 150 miles away,” he told them, “Less than a week’s journey if you’re in a hurry. What’s your budget?”

They looked between each other. “How much money do we have?” Luhan muttered. They all shrugged. “We’d like to walk.”

The man sighed. “You and the box-man couldn’t have been arriving at more annoying times. You could’ve walked together instead of me marking out a map for the both of you.”

“How long will you take?”

“Give me twenty minutes to finish my drink, up to an hour to find another map and draw the route.” The man looked rather weary.

“Let me buy you another round,” Chanyeol offered, feeling sorry for him. Jonathan brightened immediately.

“If you insist, lad!”

He left the pub much merrier, telling the four travellers to wait there. They sat and had a meal at the pub, watching as the men sang together with increasingly flushed faces. Jonathan returned, gave them a map with the route marked out and told them all the best towns to stop at.

“Best of luck and safe travels,” he waved after them, before walking away back to the port.

“We have a hundred and fifty miles to go,” Luhan was saying. “If we walk enough we can probably make it in five days.”

“I should’ve taken you up on staying home,” Chanyeol muttered to Jongdae.

So, the next day after using some of their remaining money to rent a room, they began walking, aiming to make it to Narraghmore before nightfall.

As they walked, they talked. As minutes turned to hours they learned more and more about each other. They asked about the future, and JD refused to tell them. So, they asked about him and his friends, and he began to describe them.

“I met Baekhyunnie in college, we’re roommates now. He’s the funniest guy I ever met, but kind of… I don’t know how to put it in terms you’d understand, he’s thirsty. He’s not good with sticking in relationships either. Then my oldest friend is Yixing who’s a med student, we went to school together. He’s just really chill and cool. His dad owns this company, and Yixing befriended a group of workers there who I met. Junmyeon is like in charge, and he’s kind of chill but also always stressed. His childhood friend Sehun comes to hang out, and _his_ friend Jongin comes too. They’re both students still. There’s also Kyungsoo who works mechanics and coding there. He’s kind of scary but secretly really squishy and nice. I think Jongin had a crush on him.” He spoke quickly, and his voice lightened happily as he spoke about his friends.

“I can’t wait to see them again,” he finished, his gaze falling somewhere far away, upon a different time.

They made it Narraghmore, bought some food and slept under the stars. The next days and nights all followed in a similar fashion. As they walked Minseok and JD casually gravitated towards each other, both lowkey enjoying the extra time they were spending together. The attraction between them was strong, both staring at the other if they weren’t looking and not noticing that the other was doing it. Each privately admiring the other, and lost gazes that were only picked up by an increasingly frustrated Chanyeol and increasingly worried Luhan.

Jongdae knew it was bad to be spending so much time in the past. Each day he spent here was a day lost in his own time, and he didn’t want to be worrying his friends and parents. Also, he really, really missed hot showers. And Wi-Fi. And takeout food.

Finally, it was the last night before making the last stretch to Cork. Minseok lay on the grass next to JD, Luhan and Chanyeol off collecting firewood.

“Teach me constellations,” JD requested, his arm warm against Minseok’s. So, the older started pointing them out to him as they lay enjoying each other’s company and staring at the stars.

JD, always a bit restless, sat up and looked over at the lake they had camped near. “I’m going to swim,” he announced, “I feel mucky.”

“Swim?” Minseok was alarmed, “You want to swim?”

“Is it a problem?” JD asked, not looking worried.

“Do you know how?”

“Yeah.”

There was a pause between them, and then JD laughed brightly. “You can’t, can you? Finally, something I can do that you immortals can’t. It’s shallow so come in, hyung,” he demanded, pulling off his shirt.

Minseok’s gaze lingered on the bare torso for the second before JD was splashing into the water, squealing at the cold. Then he stretched his arms in front of him and started gliding through the water, diving under at times.

“Hyuuung!” he called, “Come in!”

So, he did, entering the water but staying where he was able to stand up. JD laughed and swam over to him.

“Ahh, the water’s so nice,” he said, rolling onto his back and staring at the sky again. “Orion’s belt, hyung?”

“Good job,” Minseok said, but he was looking at JD’s features, not at the sky.

JD must have grown restless again from the inactivity, because he started splashing Minseok, who, shocked, started splashing back. This turned into an all-out water fight, JD having the advantage because he could swim, but Minseok making up for it in competitiveness. JD was laughing loudly as he evaded attacks and whined louder when he failed to. Reaching in the darkness Minseok managed to grab hold of JD’s waist.

“Got you!” he said triumphantly, as JD stated flailing dramatically.

“ _Hyung_! Whyyyyy!! Let go,” he was yelling as Minseok’s grip tightened, and then it occurred to both of them at the same time what a compromising position they were in.

Naturally this was when Luhan and Chanyeol returned.

“What… Are you doing?” he older judged, as Chanyeol laughed behind his hand.

“I was being bullied,” JD announced, climbing out of the water when Minseok released him.

“He started it,” Minseok countered. “I’m cold now, did you get firewood?”

The firewood has been got and Chanyeol, who was good with fire, had it lit in no time. They stretched out in the warmth.

“I’m really going to kill this guy for making us chase him all over the world,” Minseok said, but was stretched out like a cat with his head on JD’s lap and there was no bite in his voice.

“Yeah, he’s causing us such problems,” JD agreed, his fingers lacing through Minseok’s hair.

They set off the next morning, back to walking mile after mile through the endless green fields of Ireland. They were lucky with the weather and didn’t rain too often or too heavy, and the locals were usually friendly. They often mentioned how funny it was to have two parties trying to walk Dublin to Cork passing through their town.

“He’s picked up some companions then,” Luhan said, “The villagers are saying there was a group of them heading to Cork with the metal box.”

“Are you heading to Athens too?” asked the woman they were talking to friendlily, “That’s where they said they were going next.”

The four stared at her in disbelief. “Athens?”

JD sat on the floor in disbelief. “Why are they going to Dublin to Cork to Athens? Where next, Atlantis?” he asked.

“Looks like this trip is going to be even longer,” Chanyeol commented. “At least Greece is sunny.”

“Isn’t going to take awhile to get there?” JD was asking, “How long am I going to have to stay here?”

Luhan looked at him sympathetically and Minseok patted his shoulder. “Let’s take it one day at a time,” he suggested, “Think of it as a fun tour of Ireland and… the Mediterranean.”

JD slumped further, then stood up. “Let’s go and catch up, then,” he said, “So I can hit this guy when I meet him.”

“That’s the spirit,” Chanyeol clapped him on the back.

They walked the last stretch to Cork, a strange satisfaction settling over them as they reached it after the long, long journey. They found somewhere to stay, and then searched for a vessel to Athens.

“It’s twelve days at sea,” JD learned, and reported back to the others, “I’ll be missing at least three weeks back home! My mother’s going to be so mad at me, and especially if I miss Jongdeok’s wedding.” He was sighing.

Minseok made a mental note that his brother’s name was Jongdeok, also JD, and wondered if it was similar to JD’s name.

A few days later they were on a merchant vessel to Athens. JD had already been with them a week, more than twice as long as he usually stayed, and Minseok truthfully was loving it. He wondered if this was what it would be like if JD stayed with them all the time, minus the drama. Just his constant sunny presence all day for stretches of time. He didn’t say it out loud and knew JD wanted nothing more than to make another jump forward as soon as possible, but he was thrilled at having at least twelve more days together.

“I’m really going to pay you back,” JD was telling Luhan, “For all these expenses. Keep track of what I owe you.”

He was so honest and empathetic. On the long walk they had had to stop because JD had seen a child crying and couldn’t handle it, needing to help him find his toy he had lost in the grass. He also liked to take care of the immortals as best he could, even though in his situation and it was him that needed looking after.

On the second day of the cruise he had befriended an old lady, and had taken it upon himself to help her walk across deck whenever she needed to. He asked after their health every morning, made sure Minseok was eating enough (he sometimes tended to eat too little, a habit from his early immortal days when a young man he had been almost in love with told him he had a fat face).

He was funny and good company and spoke glowingly of his family and friends.

The first few days of the cruise were spent going across the Atlantic Ocean to Spain, days and days of endless ocean. Jongdae wanted to take as many pictures as possible, but it was hard to find a quiet spot where someone wouldn’t see him using his phone. He got Minseok to guard him or distract people when he really wanted to take a picture, like of the dolphins they saw.

Travelling south the weather warmed. It was mid-June now, and the days were long and warm, even on the open ocean.

Jongdae even in the future had never been on a cruise, or a boat for more than a few hours. He decided when he got back to his own time he would take the immortals out on a nice one to say thank you, as he was taking to life on the open ocean now.

He decided to teach them a game. “It’s called never have I ever,” he told them cheerily, brandishing a bottle of wine. “I say something like, ‘Never have I ever kissed a girl’ and if you have you need to take a swig of the wine, okay?”

“What’s the point of it?” Luhan asked sceptically.

“It’s just a chance to get drunk and learn embarrassing things about each other,” JD told him.

“How do you win?”

JD looked a little blank. “I’m not sure if you do… You win by staying the most sober I guess? It’s fun, because you can say like ‘never have I ever ridden Mongolian horses’ to try and get one particular person drunk. Only you would drink for that and we would find it funny!”

“Future games aren’t very intellectual, are they?”

“I want to play,” Chanyeol said eagerly.

JD grinned at him. “I’ll start, I’ll start, never have I ever… been a professional ballroom dancer.” He giggled at Luhan’s glare.

Luhan took a swig and said immediately, “Never have I ever been a time traveller.”

JD stuck his tongue out and drank.

The bottle was full, and so they learned a variety of things about each other. All of them had kissed girls, only Luhan had never kissed a boy, Minseok and Luhan had received offers of marriage, Chanyeol and Jongdae had gone skinny dipping before, and Minseok sheepishly took a drink to never have I ever two timed.

“You bad boy!” JD laughed, “You always seem so meek, when did this happen?”

“I was in my thirties and living in kind of a wild part of London,” he admitted. “One of them was three-timing me, so it was fine.”

“Wow,” JD stared at him in wonder, “Who knew you’d had such a life?”

Minseok was reminded of all the wrong he’d done in his early youth, and how ever morning the mark on his chest darkened. Only when he abandoned that life for a quieter one did it fade slightly. Since meeting JD, it had lightened even further.

Chanyeol and Luhan went to bed, leaving the other two in a comfortable silence.

Minseok broke it, “I wasn’t a good person,” he said. JD looked up at him. Minseok wasn’t sure why he was telling JD this, he hadn’t told anyone really. “I got the Punishment for breaking hearts and ruining girls, and not feeling bad. I was trying hard to change myself, and be something else than…” He struggled for the words. “It’s not accepted anywhere, I know, but, I liked men. I tried so hard not to by being with as many girls as I could, but I guess I was taking advantage of them and dumping them, because I was given the Punishment.” He looked miserable. “My parents already thought I was a cesspit of sin, so when I then stopped ageing they decided I was consorting with the devil. I left soon after that and went to London, getting in with kind of a wrong crowd? I tried to forget with a crazy and dangerous life, but then I realised I was fifty years old, and I saw that a guy who used to be worse than me had settled down, married and had three children.

“I realised I had to change, so I did. I met Luhan about ten years after that, he has no idea, so please don’t tell him.” He looked at JD pleasingly.

JD was quiet, considering everything he’d heard. He said, slowly, “The past doesn’t have to define you, hyung. It’s how you are right now that matters, right? And right now, you’re one of the nicest people I’ve met and is selflessly helping me even though you don’t know me well. And if you feel bad about it then it means you can’t be a bad person, especially if you corrected your ways and are striving to lift the punishment.” And then he smiled at Minseok again, and Minseok was reminded that he would kind of do anything for him.

“How long have you been carrying that on your shoulders?”

“I guess, a hundred years,” he smiled weakly.

“You should talk to me when you have problems,” JD said passionately, “That way you don’t have to carry the burden by yourself.”

“I will then.” They shared a smile. When Minseok was washing up for bed later, the mark had gone grey.

* * *

 

They finally reached Athens, after their weeks of travel and hardship.

“If he’s not here,” Chanyeol said, “I’m throwing myself into the ocean.”

“I’ll go with you,” JD told him.

“No one throw yourself into the ocean just yet, let’s make sure first,” Minseok told them, “Also do we have time to eat, I love Greek food.”

They bought some food and ate it while Luhan, who knew some basic Greek, was wondering around trying to get information.

As they sat in the sun, Minseok felt a little strange. He had poured out his entire messy history to JD, who still wanted to be associated with him, e and JD acted closer now than before, in fact. It was weird to have a little bit of the edge of self-loathing taken off.

“Ah, I’d like to come on holiday here some time,” JD was saying happily, “When I’ve got spare time. I feel like a tourist right now.”

Luhan came back. “I can’t really get anything out of them, but they said something about the Island of Andros. It’s another boat ride, but at least it’s actually part of Greece.” He caught sight of JD taking a selfie. “I really hate it when you do that, JD, you look like an idiot.”

“You’re the biggest selfie hoe I know,” JD told him, tucking his phone back into his pocket. “Just wait.”

A couple of hours later they found themselves on the small island of Andros, which only had one tiny town near the port. There was little room to hide here, and it was unlikely the thief could quickly escape from here either, and away from them again.

It felt like years ago they had been chasing him through the little town back where they had been staying, and now they had followed him a quarter of the way across the world. The unnecessary trek through Ireland, the long cruise through the Mediterranean, and now they were finally on the same tiny island as him.

Jongdae had a funny though and shared it with them. “How hilarious would it be if this was just some guy with a metal box we’ve been following, and not the thief.”

Chanyeol smirked in response, but the other two looked less amused.

“Let’s just find him,” Minseok said. “And come up with a plan. He could be dangerous or have a tonne of henchmen.”

“He stole the time machine, so we just steal it back,” was Chanyeol’s simple plan.

“We find where he is and where the machine is, ask nicely for it back, and then fight him if he says no,” JD expanded.

“Won’t it be better to start with the fight, just in case?”

“It might all be a misunderstanding,” JD defended the thief, “Maybe he thought it was junk, but really liked it so took it to show his uncle in Dublin, his grandma in Cork and now his sister in Greece.”

When the others looked at him incredulously, he said, “Okay, fair enough, maybe not.”

The locals here were very eager to talk to such exotic foreigners, and especially as three had arrived earlier. (“So, he has friends now,” Minseok observed”). This could get potentially dangerous now, they realised as they walked in the direction pointed out to them.

“Do you two know how to fight?” Minseok asked Chanyeol and JD. He and Luhan, who had lots of spare time, had mastered quite a few martial arts.

Chanyeol nodded while JD shook his head.

“Fine, JD, you just stand back if things get a bit violent, okay?”

He gave the thumbs up. “I trust you, hyungs and Chanyeol!”

“I’m your hyung too,” he corrected, annoyed.

“You’re stuck at the age of twenty-three, so I’m older,” JD said, “We discussed this in 2016 already.”

“I haven’t been to 2016 yet!”

Luhan silenced them, annoyed. “We’re going into a dangerous situation now, so you two stop saying useless things.” JD mimed zipping his mouth closed, an action that no one else understood, so he mimed sewing it shut instead, which got a nod of understanding.

* * *

 

Up behind the hill they found a small house with three horses grazing outside. “This must be the place,” Minseok breathed, “Everyone stay sharp.”

“I still say we should ask nicely first,” Jongdae muttered.

“Fine, we’ll ask nicely first,” Minseok sighed.

So, when they reached the front door, they knocked.

A young man opened it. “Please give us back our time machine,” Chanyeol said, and immediately afterwards punched him in the face.

“That’s not nicely!” Jongdae argued.

“I said please!”

The could hear panicked voices coming from inside, so they rushed in instead of waiting outside. The man who got punched was quickly overwhelmed, Luhan grabbing a lamp and hitting him over the head with it. JD stood back and clapped them on, then they went into the next room where they could hear voices.

Inside it was two more men, and on the table, to Jongdae’s immense delight, was the time machine, unbroken.

“Hey, who are you guys!” one man yelled. JD watched again, heavily entertained, as the three immortals fought the new guys. It was then he realised, that he knew one of them.

“Which one of you took his machine?” Minseok demanded, gesturing to Jongdae, who was staring at one of the men.

“That’s _my_ machine,” said that man, annoyed.

“Tao?” Jongdae gasped in surprise. In the future, he was part of the immortal squad, one of the immortals he’d met in February earlier that year alongside Minseok, Luhan and Yifan.

“Have we met?” past Tao frowned. “And get away from my machine.”

“It’s mine,” Jongdae snapped, “it literally belongs to me. Well, Zifeng, technically.”

“I found it,” Tao insisted. He looked very young to the immortals, not like the other two men he was with who were older and more rugged. He was quite handsome and sweet looking, with bags under his eyes and sharp features.

No pretty face or old friend left JD any less annoyed though, as he accused, “I left it in the fenced front garden of our cottage, you stole it you thief!”

“I’m not a thief!” Tao looked upset now, as though he hadn’t just caused them huge amounts of hardship.

“You took my belonging without asking!”

“Well, I’m not usually a thief, then!”

“And you ran all the way to Greece, _through_ Ireland?!” Minseok added, “Do you have any idea how hard it was to follow you?”

Tao, who couldn’t have been more than twenty-two, pursed his lips, upset.

The other four stepped back to have a quick discussion. “This guy’s not menacing at all,” Luhan muttered. “He looks like a child.”

“I think he might start crying any second,” Chanyeol agreed.

“And I know him,” Jongdae said, “he hangs out with you guys in the future.”

They turned back to him, and JD decided to go for a gentler route. “Look, you’re Tao, right?”

“Yeah,” said the young man miserably.

“And why did you take the machine?”

His face twisted into an even sadder expression. “Getting the time machine was my parents’ whole life. They just wanted it so badly ever since they realised what you guys were, and they’d been planning for years to get it, and then shake off suspicion through Ireland before running to Andros. I was raised with this as my entire objective, and when they died a few years ago completing the plan was their final request.” He sniffed, tears welling up, “a-and… I just really wanted to travel through time! It sounded so cool!” The tears fell.

They stepped away again to form another circle.

“He’s not exactly a hardened criminal,” Jongdae said.

“He still needs to face punishment for what he’s done,” Luhan said, “No matter what his motive was.”

“Let’s tell the police then,” Jongdae suggested.

“What if they ask questions about you and think something’s fishy?”

“We can just say he took our favourite metal box.”

“What if he takes it to court, they’re bound to notice something strange about us, we live our whole lives trying to avoid the government and police.”

“Well what do you suggest?”

They noticed Tao had gone quiet behind them, he’d stopped sobbing and was rubbing his chest with a frown on his face. The skin under his right collarbone seemed to be irritating him.

“What’s wrong with you?” Luhan asked warily, noticing this warning sign and disliking it.

“My skin hurts,” he sniffed, “And I feel kind of… Weird.”

The three immortals all looked at each other, and then back at Tao. Minseok crouched down to Tao’s level, and said in a voice far gentler than it had just been, “Let me see.”

“Why are you being like this all of a sudden,” he accused, flinching back.

Minseok lightly slapped the side of his head and then pulled down his shirt collar with his finger. There, like dark black ink on Tao’s pale skin, was the infinity symbol. Jongdae’s eyes widened. Tao had been given the Punishment.

Chanyeol sighed and stepped away from the cowering boy. “We’d be hypocrites to keep being angry at him now. He’s no worse or better than us.”

Tao was staring at the mark in confusion, and then back at the four men standing over him. “I didn’t draw this on.”

“It’s the sign that you’ve been given the Punishment,” Luhan said, his eyes pitying instead of angry, “You’ve done wrong, but for whatever reason, maybe God sees you’re a good person deep down, this is your second chance.”

“To do what?”

“Right your wrong,” Minseok said.

“What if I don’t want to.”

“Then you’ll live forever,” Minseok pulled down his own shirt collar, revealing his infinity symbol. Luhan and Chanyeol did the same. As Tao looked between the three of them, realisation dawned on his features.

“Oh,” he said softly. “Oh, am I…”

“One of us, kid,” Chanyeol patted his hair, “Welcome to the family. I guess this way you’ll get to travel in time like you wanted, but you just have to wait a while to get to the future. And you can’t go backwards.”

Tao burst into fresh sobs.

Jongdae’s soft heart couldn’t quite take it and he knelt down to put his arm around Tao’s shoulder. As though they hadn’t just been at animosity with each other the new immortal immediately curled into his arms.

“There, there,” Jongdae was saying, “These guys are all immortals, they’re not so mad about it.”

“We hate our lives and ourselves,” Minseok corrected. Luhan and Chanyeol shrugged in agreement.

Jongdae’s eyes narrowed at them as he went back to comforting the younger boy. “It must be hard, Tao-ah, I know. But I’m sure you’ll get used to it.”

“I’m sorry for taking your machine,” Tao said sadly, “You seem like a nice guy.”

“You also led us on a two-week goose chase,” Minseok reminded him.

“More than two weeks,” Jongdae thought absently, “It was twelve days on the boat to Athens, and like five days strolling through Ireland.” Horror crossed his features, “I’ve been here almost three weeks! What will my family be thinking!”

“Quickly got forward then,” Chanyeol urged.

“I need to use it back at the meadow,” Jongdae said, “So that I end up at the same place each time. Ughh, everyone’s gonna be so mad at me!”

“Alright,” they all got ready to go, “Well, Tao, don’t do something like this again. We’re gonna head off.”

“I need to go back there too, I live there,” Tao said.

They all looked at each other.

And so, the future came true, and Tao came with them as they took the boat back to where they had started from. It was a little strange to suddenly be on friendly terms with him, but he did have that one important thing in common with them.

He was actually quite a nice guy, they found, he’d just wanted to fulfil his parents’ wishes and also travel in time.

By the time they made it back to the meadow, it was the 4th of July.

Jongdae turned to his friends and said sincerely, “Thank you so much for everything guys, I’ll really repay you one day.”

He looked at Minseok. “You’re still the nicest hyung I have, Minseokkie.” He opened his arms for a hug and Minseok held him tight. It would be twenty years before they met again, and it felt difficult this time, after having had a whole month of him. He was used to his presence now. He was sure there would be a hole in his life with him gone this time.

With every second closer to his departure, Minseok was feeling steadily more heart broken.

“See you in 20 years, then,” JD smiled, then with that awful flash of light, he was gone, and Minseok was left waiting for him.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may notice I switch between calling him JD and Jongdae, it's because it depends on whose POV it is.   
> I hope you enjoyed it, and sorry the whole chapter was just a whole lot of wondering around but I needed an excuse for Jongdae to stay a little longer so they could bond, ya know


	4. 1876

**1854**

When Tao had first told him about a time machine, Tony hadn’t believed him.

“It’s real, Tony,” the young man was insisting, “My parents saw them twenty years ago! They followed the two immortals for fifteen years, and they never aged!” He pulled out some sketches of the same two men. “See, these are from across the years, they haven’t aged at all!” Indeed, the men looked exactly the same in each picture.

“These could’ve been drawn in the same year,” Tony said.

“ _Please_ , Tony, why would I lie about this,” he said, with soft pleading eyes. “I don’t want to do this alone.” It was the honesty in those eyes, and sympathy for the fact Tao had lost his parents not too long ago that persuaded Tony to join him.

“Fine,” he said, “But if it turns out the box can’t travel through time I’m going to be so mad.”

And so along with one other, (Tony pulled his friend Jaeduc into the scheme) the plan was hatched, or the pan that had been hatched almost twenty years ago when Tao’s parents had discovered the immortals was the explained to them. There were two immortals, named Luhan and Minseok, and one time traveller whose name they didn’t know. He carried the box, and seemed to appear in jumps of twenty years. That meant he would be back on June 5th, when they would find an opportunity to steal the machine and then would have the power of time travel!

As the plan and time went on, Tony found himself more and more eager for the end outcome. He knew it was Tao’s but as they were a team he would get to as well, right? Maybe it was just Tao’s overwhelming enthusiasm that was affecting him, but he was getting very excited.

1856 came and they took the machine. Then was the trek through Ireland Tao’s parents had planned to shake anyone off, before heading to the tiny island of Andros to finally use the machine.

Having it in his grasp, Tony stared at it in wonder. Tao usually held it, but when he was busy Tony got to. It was so beautiful, so futuristic, and with every second Tony was loving it more and more. He liked it so much when he got the opportunity he drew it carefully many times. And it was theirs now, forever.

Then four men burst in, beat them up and when Tony woke they and Tao had disappeared. Tao had left a note saying, “Plan didn’t work, have gone with those guys, sorry.” And so Tony’s hopeful heart was broken. He went into the living room to shake Jaeduc awake and then wondered what to do next.

Tony was almost in tears, “That machine was so cool.”

“Yeah,” Jaeduc patted his shoulder in sympathy.

“But now it’s gone and there’s nothing we can do,” he sniffed.

“Well,” Jaeduc said, “You drew all those sketches of it from every angle. You could try building a new one.”

A new plan was formed. They returned home, and then Tony quit his job, sold everything he owned and began trying to build a time machine.

* * *

 

**1876**

July was approaching, so it had been almost twenty years since JD had last strolled into their lives. It had been twenty years between the first and second time too, and the second and third time as well, but this wait seemed different. Before then, JD had been a stranger, just a passing traveller who Minseok had taken a fancy to, and had liked and who had cheered him up a lot. The third time they met, in 1856, he had stayed a whole month. When he left, he was a close friend, someone who Minseok had trusted his darkest secrets with. Someone whose lips he wanted to kiss when he saw them, who he wanted to hold forever. Who shooed away gloom from Minseok’s emotions and replaced them with happiness, his smile and his laughter.

This twenty years hadn’t felt like years just passing, like they usually did, they felt like waiting. Like watching a ticking clock and the hands seeming to slow down. There were 630,720,000 seconds in twenty years.

Even without JD’s marking every two decades, Minseok had been alive so long now. He was approaching two hundred years old. Tao had been complaining the other day about turning 42 years old, and Minseok had almost hit him. Time kept rolling forwards and dragging the unwilling Minseok along with it, and the only windbreak was the appearance of JD, who changed everything for that brief moment, basically seconds in Minseok’s eternal lifetime, and then as he left Minseok was dragged even more forcefully than before.

Chanyeol, who surprisingly still retained his fresh outlook on life even twenty years later, tried his best to cheer Minseok up, often avoiding JD’s name. Luhan had thought it best they don’t mention him, even saying “JD will be back soon” didn’t cause much comfort, because it also translated to “and then he will go and leave things worse in his wake”.

The four of them had stuck together mostly for the last twenty years. It was different, as he and Luhan often drifted away from each other for years at a time before drifting back, but Chanyeol and Tao were rather clingy and liked to keep friends close. It was kind of like having kids, especially as Tao had been twenty two when they met, and they had felt like needing to look after him. The four of them made a strange sort of make-shift family. When Minseok contemplated going to Brazil, the other two followed him happily, and then Luhan too because he felt oddly left behind.

They let Tao stick with them fairly easily too. JD had borne him no animosity, despite the troubles he’d caused, saying “We’re friends in the future!”. So Chanyeol, also very laid back, accepted him too, and Luhan who secretly had a very tender heart also took him in, and Minseok tended to follow the crowds, so Tao seamlessly joined their new immortal squad.

Twenty years later, naturally the four were best friends. To a human a twenty-year friendship would be insanely long, but to Minseok it was about a tenth of his life.

A tenth of his life that had been and passed, and now it was time for JD to reappear and disappear again, and then Minseok would wait another twenty for him.

The was just something so distinctly unfair about it, about his life, about JD, about everything.

But here he was, with his three friends, on their way to see the time traveller again.

“I can’t believe it’s been twenty years,” Tao was saying, “That means that I’ve been immortal for almost as long as I was mortal.” The realisation made him quiet for the rest of the journey.

“I’m in my sixties now,” Chanyeol also mentioned, “so old.”

“I’m a hundred and fifty-four you child,” Luhan said, but he was smiling.

“And none of us are as old as Minseok-hyung,” Chanyeol said, but the older didn’t reply, lost in his own thoughts. “We should try and dig out his birth certificate some time,” Chanyeol said, “I want to know how old he actually he is.”

“I’m not sure if I have one,” Minseok finally said, “I don’t think my parents kept a note of it. My grandma knew and told me once, but I forgot.”

“Still, it would be interesting to know.”

They had arrived at the meadow. It had lots of meaning to them now, when it had used to just be the meadow outside of town to them. A ten-minute walk from the narrow house they had lived in sixty years ago. All of the neighbours they had had back then were dead now, their names etched on tombstones on the local graveyard, and here were Minseok and Luhan, the same and returning ritually every twenty years.

And then, right on time, a flash of white light and JD was back, with a smile of goodbye on his face, the one had gave to them. It morphed into a smile of greeting. Of course, for JD, he skipped the twenty years in a simple second.

“Minseokkie-hyung,” he called happily, and by magic, every glum thought in Minseok’s head disappeared. No grievance, no grudge, and he smiled back.

“Hi again,” he said, trying to suppress the joy he felt out of his voice, “How was your trip?”

JD laughed, and Minseok forgot what brooding was.

“So cool,” Tao was muttering grumpily behind him staring at the machine; he held grudges apparently. JD just winked at him and checked a screen on his machine.

“0%,” he said, “Thanks for coming to see me, guys!”

Twenty years could have been twenty seconds now that he stood before them again, exactly as he’d been before, beaming with his cat like mouth, wearing the awful yellow jumper and staring at Minseok like he was the best thing he’d ever seen.

“JD-ah,” Chanyeol said, “You’ve missed a lot! We have lots of stories to tell you, I accidentally proposed to a girl on an island tribe we met, and we couldn’t explain because of the language barrier. We had to leave secretly at night, I felt quite bad!”

“Better than following through with the marriage,” Luhan reminded him, “What would’ve happened if you’d gone through with the marriage, huh?”

“Maybe they’d have started worshipping me as a God.”

“That’s incredibly offensive.”

“You guys haven’t changed at all,” JD said, looking pleased, “You never do.” He started fiddling with his machine to put into handheld mode so he could carry to one handed. This left his left hand free, and he looped his arm through Minseok’s, whose insides fluttered.

“We’re staying back in this town,” he said to JD, “No one recognises us now.”

“Unless they’ve been secretly following us for forty years,” Luhan side, side eyeing Tao.

Tao defended himself immediately, “My parents had been following you since before I was born, they were the ones doing it! I was only doing it since more recently.” They all looked at him, amused. “That doesn’t make it any better does it?” he sighed. “Fine.”

The day was bright and sunny as they walked through familiar roads, older and worn, with some gates rusty and broken, as opposed to strong like they’d been in 1816. JD was looking up at the sky, pleased. “It’s sunny! I won’t have to stay long this time,” he said happily.

A sharp pain stung Minseok’s heart. “Have to stay”. Of course, being here was a hardship to JD, not the highlight of every two decades as it was to Minseok. He felt a little hurt, but didn’t stay anything. It was just another crack in his already fractured heart.

“But it’s a shame, JD,” Chanyeol unwittingly voiced Minseok’s thoughts, “We like seeing you.”

JD only laughed, “You guys are too nice! We’ll be friends in the future anyway, and see each other all the time then.”

“You and your future friends,” Luhan sighed, “You didn’t mention we’d end up with a whole flock of them,” he gestured to the two younger immortals.

“There’s more after then,” JD said cheekily, “There was a whole group of you guys. I never realised you and Minseokkie-hyung were such loners in the far past. I bet it was me that brought you closer together wasn’t it? You’re welcome hyungs. Stay friends from now on.”

“Sure, JD,” Luhan only said, but gave Minseok a warm smile. It changed to a ghost of a frown when he saw Minseok’s wobbly response and realised something was off about him.

They got to the town and left JD’s machine on the balcony from their room. (They weren’t leaving it outside again, just in case someone tried to grab it again. They all looked pointedly at Tao).

They went out again to go get drinks at a café that hadn’t been there sixty years ago when JD had first wondered around with Minseok to kill time. This time no one recognised them, or looked twice. They were just five ordinary young men in their twenties, not a middle-aged man, a quite old man, two very old men, and a man who wouldn’t be born for another hundred and twenty years.

“The last time we met I was calling you hyung, JD,” Tao remembered, “Now you should be calling me uncle.” They both burst out laughing.

“All four of you should call me uncle,” Minseok said, “Aren’t I your oldest?”

“Everyone apart from Luhan should call you grandfather,” Chanyeol was sniggering. Minseok pulled a face.

“I’d never want you as my grandson, you’re a menace.”

“My actual grandfather thought similarly.” 

JD immediately said, “I’d want you as a grandson!”

“Aw, thanks JD, you know you’re nicer to me in ten minutes than these three put together for twenty years?”

“Don’t listen to him, he’s the one that mistreats us,” Tao was insisting, “He plays pranks on us! I woke up and he’d covered me in whipped cream once! That must have been hard to make too.”

“Not with my guns of steel,” Chanyeol made a bicep, “I can whip cream for days, Tao.”

“You’ve got noodle arms,” Luhan said, “Upstage him, Minseok.”

Minseok rolled his eyes as if to say no, but then pulled a far more impressive bicep. JD’s stared appreciatively.

“You must exercise a lot, hyung,” he admired, not seeing Chanyeol’s wink at Minseok.

“It’s not bad for a grandpa,” Tao agreed, ducking a hit that came his way after the comment. “You are a grandpa! You’re so old you can’t remember your birthday!”

“It just wasn’t told to me,” Minseok argued, “I was born the sixteen-hundreds in a village where birthdays aren’t important.”

“The 1600s,” Chanyeol whistled, “You really are ancient.”

“ _Late_ 1600s,” Minseok corrected, “I’m only thirty years older than Luhan, we’ve been over this.”

“I have an admission,” JD said slightly sheepishly. They all turned to frown at him and he continued, “I know what year Minseok was born. He found out eventually and told me in the future.”

Minseok looked at him, shocked, “What year was it!”

“I can’t tell you, you need to go find out for yourself,” JD countered, “I just thought it was funny you’re all arguing over it and I know.”

“Whisper it to me,” Chanyeol demanded, and JD laughed. “No seriously, JD, I can know, right?”

“You might tell him,” JD stuck his tongue out, “it’s my secret for now.”

“Can you tell us if it was actually the late 1600s or if it was early and he just doesn’t want to be even more of a grandpa,” Tao leaned forward, looking serious. “I think he’s lying.”

JD laughed louder, “He wasn’t, it was the late 1600s. It’s an easy date to remember, I can’t believe he forgot it.”

Minseok looked bewildered and thoughtful now, “I really want to know now,” he said, “I’ve got to make a trip to my hometown I guess.” As soon as he said it, he suddenly didn’t want to. Not when it was a place carrying nothing but bad memories for him.

“It’s good to go back to your home town,” Luhan carried on, “I try to go every fifty years or so. I visit my parents’ grave and things like that.”

“Should I visit my parents?” Chanyeol wondered, “they died just before I got the Punishment. I haven’t seen them since.” The conversation had thankfully moved on since Minseok’s statement, apart from for JD, who was continuing to watch him. He seemed to notice everything about Minseok.

Later when they were at the inn, Minseok was standing out on the balcony, mind whirring. Next to him, the machine sat, fully charged and ready to be used tomorrow morning.

Not only that, but he was considering his hometown, where he had been banished from. Not actually banished, but cast away from his family. The last time he had gone was for his niece’s wedding, where he stood far away, and was blanked by his brother, who pretended not to see him. His parents thought he consorted with the devil and the town decided to share the view. He left before they could tell him to, and made for the big city.

Should he go there? Even that niece would be dead by now, no one would know him unless they spread his name like a folktale. There must be a record of him somewhere, of his date of birth.

“Burning the midnight oil, Minseokkie-hyung?” JD’s voice came and he appeared next to him, with his real and solid presence, not imagination. “What are you thinking about?”

“Going home,” Minseok said, home feeling a strange word in his mouth.

“You should if it will get you closure, but not if you’ll feel bad going there,” JD said sincerely. Minseok remembered that JD knew everything about his past in that town.

Filled with sudden motivation, both to go there and to keep JD close to him for a little longer, he said, “If I go, would you go with me?”

JD’s mouth opened a little, surprised, and Minseok quickly added, “Only if you don’t mind being a little later to get to your home, that is.”

But JD was smiling at him warmly. “It makes me feel nice that you asked, hyung! I’ll definitely go, it’s little to do in return for your kindness to me. I’m so late anyway that a few days can’t even hurt.”

The two of them set off the next day together, telling the news to Luhan, Chanyeol and Tao over breakfast when they were already packed. They were shocked obviously, having thought JD was leaving that day, but Luhan quickly quietened their attempts to go with them. “I think Minseok wants to go with JD alone,” he said quietly.

“Are they betrothed or something?” Tao said, upset at being left behind, but Chanyeol seemed to understand as well as Luhan, the loud yet unspoken thing between those two.

* * *

 

The journey to Minseok’s old home wasn’t too long, and to be honest he’d have preferred it to be as long as possible.

“It must feel kind of nice going home, Minseokkie,” JD said to him, “I think everyone likes going home somewhat. I can’t wait too, and I’ve only been away a few weeks.”

Minseok ignored the fresh stab of JD’s departure and responded to the first part, “I guess so. I never fully liked it there though, I felt trapped most of the time. It was a blessing to leave.”

JD nodded, “I get that. I couldn’t wait to move out of my parents’ house and get to university.”

“You went to university?” Minseok asked, impressed. “I didn’t.”

“A good one too,” JD said proudly, “I don’t think it’s been built yet, though.”

Approaching his hometown, with familiar fields and landmarks passing them, Minseok felt his insides tightening. Nostalgia, mostly, missing a simpler time, and also the morose memories he shared with this place. They were on the road he’d walked down, when he was alone for the first time, in his mid-thirties but looking in his twenties. More than a hundred years ago. It must have been somewhere in the 1730s he left home, the 1750s when he revisited for the final time.

The church had been rebuilt and was bigger, there were more fields, and more animals in them. The pond he used to fish frogs from had been filled in, there was a house on it now. The carriage came to a stop and he hopped off. He must have looked lost, because JD took his hand and squeezed it, smiling his intoxicating smile.

“Where did you live, hyung?”

“The east side of the village,” he managed, ignoring the shot of electricity fizzing through his body. His throat felt tight. “It’s this way,” and he began walking. Every stranger he passed was unfamiliar to him, most of the buildings new too, but on the east side some things hadn’t changed. The playground was there, with little kids on the swings. And then he saw a young girl who had his brother’s eyes. She stopped walking under his gaze and turned to him.

“Is something the matter, uncle?”

She didn’t realise how near accurate that name might have been. “What’s your surname?”

“Kim,” she told him, staring at him with his brother’s wide catlike eyes.

“I was looking for the Kim family residence,” he managed, feeling steadily more uncomfortable.

“We know a relative of theirs from a long time ago, we were wondering if we could see the family Bible,” JD finished. “To see if there’s a name in there.”

“I’ll ask my mother,” she said, “Our house is this way.” She skipped away, JD and Minseok having to walk quickly to keep up. Being in such familiar surroundings was still causing Minseok’s heart to clench, and he found himself clutching JD’s arm harder and harder.

They were heading to a large family home, the one that Minseok himself had lived in all that time ago. It looked a little creaky now, but it was still standing under the maintenance the family must have kept it under.

The girl went in and called for her parents, Minseok stepping in after her. Somehow the smell was the same, all these years later, and there was a painting of his own grandparents on the wall. They stared at him judgmentally from the wall, like they had when they were living and breathing.

A man came out of the kitchen to look at him. His brother’s eyes once more, and the girl’s father. “You know a relative of ours?”

“Just that he thought he might be,” JD said, “He said to look for the name…”

“Kim Minjae,” Minseok finished, adding in his brother’s name.

“That’s my great-great-great grandfather’s name,” said the man, looking interested now. “Let me find the family records and Bible.”

Ten minutes later Minseok was being served tea in his own kitchen by his very lovely great-great-great-great-niece-in-law. “How nice it is to find more relatives,” she was saying pleasantly, not realising a notorious one was sat in front of them.

The family Bible was found first, and they opened it to the page were names of babies were written. “There’s Min-Jae,” said his great-great-great-great-nephew, “Born 1686.” And just under Minjae, born 1690, was…

A blacked-out name. It had been crossed out. Minseok had seen it coming, but felt like crying suddenly.

“We’re not sure why, but his younger brother was cast out of the family. He and their sister remained in this village for the rest of their lives, though,” the nephew continued to talk casually, “His name is crossed out on every document. We know he was born March 26th 1690, though. In an old diary his sister mentions a “dear Minseok” leaving, in 1723. It doesn’t mention why, only that he was most likely never coming back.”

Minseok, too overwhelmed to speak, just stared straight ahead.

“We’ll make sure to tell our friend,” JD said politely, “Thank very much for the tea and inviting us into your lovely home. Have a nice evening, but we must go or we’ll be late to a birthday party in the next town.”

“Have a nice time,” Minseok’s family smiled as he steered his friend out of the house and back onto the road.

Minseok remained silent, emotions whirling inside of him.

“I’m very sorry, Minseokkie-hyung.”

“She told me she was going to do it,” he replied, “My mother, to cross my name off the documents. It was nice of my sister to write that about me, she was the only one who looked upset when I was told to go.” He breathed deeply and looked up at the sky. “I’m glad I came, though.” His insides still felt jumbled up, he felt weird, like he might snap or say something odd any time soon.

It might have been for that reason, and JD’s comments for the last few days, and his gradually broken heart, that led him to react the way he did in the next moment.

JD had been unaware of his inner turmoil, and said lightly, “Now I can finally go home.”

“Right, finally. Sorry to keep you so long.” Minseok was annoyed suddenly, his mess of emotions making him turn sour.

“But we’ll see each other soon,” JD blinked, confused as the sudden turn of mood and conversation.

“Twenty years isn’t soon,” Minseok found himself snapping, the bitterness that was usually hidden in JD’s presence rising to the surface. “It’s enough time for a baby to grow to full size and fall in love. It’s an entire age.” _Especially for me, who’s fallen in love with you_.

He regretted the words as soon as he saw JD’s face, which was hurt, his eyes soft and shocked, and his mouth downturned.

“It…” he began, his voice just slightly wobbly, “It isn’t my fault, Minseok.”

“It’s still selfish,” Minseok said, still feeling harsh. His steadily broken heart was expressing itself suddenly, his hidden thoughts of abandonment, of the unjustness of having to wait, of unrequited love for a man who left him as eagerly as he greeted him. He hated each word he said, he hated himself but he couldn’t stop the words from leaving him. “When I have to wait so long, and you just leave abruptly with no care.”

JD looked confused. So confused, like he couldn’t understand why Minseok found it hard to wait for him. Unrequited. So unrequited. Then his expression hardened.

“I want to get home, hyung. I’m already late. I want to get back to my friends and family. I’m sorry I’m selfish. I’m sorry you have to wait ages to see me, a stranger barely your friend. Don’t wait next time, hyung.”

The look on his face was so different to any expression he’d worn before, not the light, cheerful, caring one, but angry, mistreated and more than anything upset. Betrayed.

 _Barely your friend_ rang in Minseok’s ears. “Then I won’t,” he said, impulsiveness ruining his life as it always did. He impulsively invited JD into his life, impulsively craved his company and sought him out year after year, and now he impulsively ruined objectively the best thing that had ever happened.

Realisation crashed down on him, of exactly what he was doing and saying.

He opened his mouth to apologise.

But, then there was a flash of white light, and JD was gone.

Gone, gone, gone, and angrily.

And Minseok had a new guilt to carry on his shoulders, a new reason to hate himself, for at least another two decades.

* * *

He sent a letter to Luhan, Chanyeol and Tao.

“JD went. Am going to travel alone for a while. Minseok.”

Reading the letter, dread filled his three friends, as they knew something bad must have happened. No one as worried as Luhan, who knew Minseok’s impulsive ways, and knew this was a recipe for a hot mess.

“I hope he’s okay,” Chanyeol was saying, “It doesn’t sound like he’s too happy.”

“No,” Luhan agreed, eyeing a strange mark at the top of the page, curiously like a tearstain.

* * *

Minseok walked alone for a long time, down the same road he had walked alone down 150 years before. After the constant presence of others for so long, solitude felt alien to him, like it had when he had first left home.

He got used to it not too long later, after all, it had been the norm for him before joining up with the other three.

Still, he kept awaiting Chanyeol’s annoying excited voice, Tao practicing Wushu and Luhan yelling at them both for getting in the way or being too loud. Sometimes he expected to hear JD’s laugh, or happy, “Minseokkie-hyuuung!” Nothing came though, he was very much by himself.

He ended up moving into a city, taking work in the mayor’s office. His knowledge of language and history made him indispensable immediately, and he found himself burying himself deeper and deeper into it, trying to forget.

It was 2am and he was still at work when a young woman approached him.

“Aren’t you working a little too hard?” she said, her voice teasing. “Stop hiding yourself away, you’re too handsome to stay in an office all day.”

He let her take him out dancing, let her make him forget his past just for a moment, and then the next morning when he was back at work and groggy from lack of sleep she came in with a cup of soup for him, a light blush on her cheeks.

Making good decisions had never been Minseok’s forte.

* * *

 

He married her. He wasn’t even attracted to women, he wasn’t in love with her and every fibre in his body knew this was the beginning of a road to disaster. Her parents liked him, they spoke happily of how handsome their children would be, what a nice addition Minseok was to the family.

Minseok had kept it to himself that immortals couldn’t conceive. Well, he had kept it to himself that he was an immortal, and also a homosexual.

Unfortunately, the magnitude of his mistakes had only occurred to him at the altar, and he wasn’t so terrible a person that he would just leave her there, even if it was probably for the best for them both. Still, he went through with it.

July 11th came and went, the day he had last seen JD, and he spent Christmas as his wife’s house with her family. He told them he was an orphan himself, with no live relatives he knew of, which was pretty much the truth. His wife was pretty and amiable, and no one had noticed just yet he looked the same as the day they had met.

“You have such a young-looking husband,” her sister said, “How lucky!” And everyone laughed along, Minseok the loudest.

She wanted children. He didn’t refuse her, but also didn’t tell her.

Her smile didn’t waver when they had been unsuccessful for a while. “Lots of people take a long time, don’t they? We’re both still young.” She said, but her eyes were disappointed, and Minseok was a hundred and ninety years old.

Suddenly hating his new life, so stressful and constantly guilt inducing, he wrote a letter to his three old friends, addressing it their last residence and hoping it would be forwarded to their new address.

_Luhan, Chanyeol and Tao_

_Sorry I haven’t written in a long time. I’m well and I hope you are. I put the address where I am currently at the top of this page, but please don’t come visit. I’ll probably see you soon, anyway, as my stay here will soon be too long. I’m also not sure if you three are still living together, but I put all your names at the top._

_I will not write what I’ve been up to, as I’m rather ashamed of it, but you can probably assume and probably have assumed since I went off alone that I’ve been making bad decisions. They’re the opposite to the bad decisions I made in my youth, technically, and it’s ironic that what would be have been a good one then is a terrible one now. My mark wavers, as though it can’t decide if what I’ve done is good or bad. I haven’t broken another heart, just yet, but it’s like it can tell this isn’t going to end well._

_Well, anyhow, I’ve stayed healthy and am not lonely. I only miss you three and hope that you are well. I look forward to seeing you again and being annoyed by you all again._

_I hope this substantial letter makes up for the ten words I wrote you to say goodbye in 1876. When we meet again, I’ll explain what happened. I’m too ashamed to let it be immortalised in paper, so I’ll say it in person._

_As you can assume, Luhan especially, I made a bad decision. Such is my life._

_It probably won’t be long ‘til our next meeting_

_Kim Minseok_

He sent it and told his wife it was a letter to the mayor’s office, no, nothing interesting, how was your day, dear? Her smile at him was vague, like she was slowly keying into the fact that things were just slightly strange. They were both more and more distant to each other.

He got a reply very quickly afterwards, in three different handwritings.

_Kim Minseok._

_This is Luhan writing, you terrible, terrible friend who I am furious at._ **Hello Minseok-hyung, this is Chanyeol!** _He stole my paper so that he could say hello. Tao wants to now._ Why haven’t you written to us, Minseok-hyung? It’s not friendly of you! _I have been permitted to continue now. As I was saying, you are a bad person and we miss you a lot, so hurry up and come home. I’ve written our new address above, and I am close to killing myself in the constant presence of these two children without you. It’s hard being a single parent, you know? Whatever you’ve done, we don’t care, don’t tell us if you don’t want to. You don’t even have to tell us about what happened with JD, if you don’t want to. Make sure you apologise to whoever you wronged and then come see us, Umin-ah._

 **Hyung! I can’t believe you just left so suddenly without saying goodbye, you really hurt our feelings. Tao even cried.** I didn’t. **He did.** _He did_. **It’s also rude of you to not write until now. I’ve got half a mind to just come visit you like you don’t want us to and hit you, but I won’t. We’ve all been good, except for Tao who broke his toe trying to climb a tree last spring-** I didn’t! **He did,** _He did_. **I’ve been learning new instruments too, just like JD said I would, how funny!** [A scribble, like someone had been hit, perhaps for mentioning someone]. **Tao really wants to write now, but we love and miss you! Come home soon, I’ll play music for you**

Don’t believe anything those two wrote it’s all filthy lies I swear. Okay, I did break my toe, but I was heroically trying to save a cat who had gotten stuck! So I climbed up but then it scratched me and I fell, but I did save it. Chanyeol was awful about it and kept laughing at me, even though I’d broken a toe! And then Luhan scolded me, not him. I bet you’d have taken my side, right hyung? Also please tell me about what you did it sounds interesting! _Don’t feel obliged to tell him anything, hyung, he’s being rude_.  Don’t feel obliged to tell me anything, I’m being rude. (Pah). Come home soon and stop Luhan from bullying me, hyung.

_We miss you_

_Lu Han_ **Park Chanyeol** Huang Zitao xxx **xxx** _xxx_

The letter cheered him up immensely, and reading it he missed his old life, travelling with those three friends, not trapped in the obligations of mortal life, and living with the guilt of his wrongs and the constant reminder of them each time she smiled at him.

Especially, the next night as he sat with his arm around his sobbing wife.

“It’s been so long,” she was saying between sobs, “Why can’t we have children?”

There was no reply he could her, or comfort he could give her, only a crushing feeling in him that he had ruined yet another woman, but in a different way that warranted his punishment. His mark had made up its mind, it was so dark Minseok felt he could fall into it, and tumble down forever.

Things worsened between them. He thought she was suspecting him of having an affair, as he continued exchanging secret letters between his friends. This culminated in an argument, one with objects thrown, until he showed her the letter, innocent with tales of Chanyeol’s latest musical exploits.

He stormed out after that, tired of being under constant scrutiny and found her still awake hours later sitting on the bed.

He could sense what talk was coming, and went and sat with her.

“We should talk,” she said stiffly.

“Sure.”

And then words poured out of here, like a waterfall held back for years. “You keep so much secret from me, your past, your feelings, and now even your friends. Why would you not even tell me about them if there was no problem, why don’t you tell me anything?” Her voice was cold and hurt.

“It was just private,” was all he could manage.

“But why does so much need to be private?” she burst out, face going red and eyes bloodshot, “Do you even care about me? You haven’t even noticed!”

He stared at her blankly, having no idea what she meant.

“Exactly,” she said bitterly, “and I’ve been less secretive than you, too.”

Another blank stare. Her eyes grew colder.

“I’ve been having an affair.”

“Oh.”

Furious, her eyes went wild and her voice loud again, choking.

“Why don’t you care, you terrible man!”

Tears streamed down her face, and Minseok could do nothing and say nothing, only sit and consider how terrible he was, how terrible, terrible. Minutes later she wiped her tears, straightened her posture and said in as steady a voice as she could,

“Do you love me?”

“No,” he said, knowing she deserved some truth.

“Did you ever?”

“I liked you a lot.”

“Are you in love with someone else?” Her eyes were so, so hurt, and he knew he couldn’t lie anymore, not even to himself.

“Yes.”

“Do I know her?”

“No.”

“Well, where is she?” Her voice was steady now, strengthened as honesty rolled out between them for the first time in their entire marriage.

“He went far away.”

She didn’t even flinch at this new confession. _He_.

“Where?”

“I don’t know,” he said, his eyes glazing over at the warm memory of JD, feeling further away than ever, even if it had been less time ago than the twenty years he waited, “I only know where he'll be. He only comes every 20 years.”

“Why didn’t you just go with him, or he just stay?” she was demanding, draining every ounce of truth out him, every word of his life she could get from him.

“He didn’t have a choice, he had to get home.” He found no more anger for this fact, only sadness, and regret for the way their last conversation had gone.

“So why did you marry me?” tears were welling again, “Why did you make me waste these years, when I could have had someone else?”

“He told me not be meet him anymore. I deserved it.”

She only nodded at that. There were no more words to say, and so they went to sleep. The next morning, she was gone, and her belongings. He couldn’t blame her, only himself, that he didn’t get a chance to say sorry.

His mark burned his skin as he packed his own things, wrote a note to the landlord that they would no longer be renting the house, and headed to go and see Luhan, Chanyeol, and Tao.

And JD too, eventually, when 1896 rolled around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loll things got a bit real here  
> JD was barely there either, next chapter will be Jongdae POV
> 
> Thanks for reading, comment and kudos if you liked it xx


	5. 1896

**1896**

Angry tears were pricking Jongdae’s eyes as he picked up the machine and switched it on. It was at 100%. He didn’t look over Minseok as he pressed the button, and then was enveloped in that white light as he was carried forward to 1896.

He didn’t understand why Minseok was so annoyed at him. What right did he have to tell him he was selfish for trying to get home as soon as possible, especially when he’d waited a month last time round, and now a few extra days as a favour to Minseok too! How was JD selfish? Why did he need to account for Minseok’s feelings, they were only sort of friends in the future, and in the past? Maybe _this_ was why Minseok was never as outright friendly as the others, he remembered him from a hundred years ago when they had a fight, and was still kind of angry about it.

Jongdae’s feelings were twisting uncomfortably thinking about the Minseok he had known in 2016, the one that had stared at him in shock upon meeting him (confusing Jongdae then, and making perfect sense now), and then spoken carefully to him, like he was worried he’s mess something up, and then keep his distance and then smile at him like he was the sun. And then in those moments he’d developed kind of a dumb crush, which had then obviously amplified now as Minseok had been so nice to him, and now he wasn’t sure how he felt.

The white light was fading away. And Minseok was standing there.

“Are you angry to see me?” was the first thing he asked. His expression was different now, eyebrows just slightly creased in a sad and sheepish expression, and his voice was careful like Jongdae might tell him to get stuffed. Jongdae wondered if he should tell him to get stuffed, but even now, seconds later, he wasn’t the kind of person that held a petty grudge over an argument that lasted less than a minute and his crush was a little too wild to stay mad. He would have been more upset if Minseok _hadn’t_ been there.

“No,” he said, and feeling embarrassed wiped his eyes with the back of sleeve. “I thought you said you weren’t coming.”

“Twenty years is kind of a long time to think things over,” he said. He took a deep breath. “I’ve been feeling… really, really bad about it. Like so bad. I thought about it every day and I can’t believe I told you that you were selfish for going home and disregarding our feelings, when obviously our feelings have no relevance when you’re trying to get home. I’ve just felt super bad for basically nineteen years, eleven months, ten days, twenty three hours and fifty five minutes.”

Jongdae was blinking at him, not expecting that, and also trying to calculate in his head. A small grin cracked, “OH! You mean you were mad for five minutes. You could’ve just said that.”

“I was trying emphasize how long I felt guilty for though!”

“I’ve only had two minutes, so give me another three before I forgive you so we can make it even,” but there was no anger left on his face.

“Let’s talk then,” Minseok nodded, but a smile was breaking on his face, and then Jongdae smiled back and then they both looked away shyly.

Jongdae spoke again, “I guess I should taken others’ feelings into account? I didn’t realise I was hurting any, I thought I was just the kooky time traveller guy who came and inconvenienced you for a few days once every twenty years.”

“It didn’t occur to you how liked you were?”

“You never liked me in the future that much,” Jongdae replied honestly.

Minseok frowned in confusion, as though he was unsure how they could be. “Maybe you were reading it wrong,” he said in absolute sincerity, and Jongdae decided he believed him.

“Okay,” he replied happily. “Seeing as you guys all like me so much, is everyone here? Have you picked any more strays?”

“No other strays, Tao and Chanyeol are a handful as it is,” Minseok replied with a vague smile on his face. “They’re in town.”

There was something different to Minseok that hadn’t been there twenty years ago. Usually when they re-met, everything about him seemed the same. The look in his eyes as well as his physical appearance, the way he spoke. This time clearly some things had changed for him, he actually seemed older like the twenty years were weighing down on him as he stood.

Jongdae couldn’t believe that the change was entirely down to their argument, in any case the tired look had alleviated slightly in the last few minutes they’d been talking. He wondered what else had happened.

“Is something else the matter, Minseok-hyung?”

Minseok looked surprised for a second, and then recovered his expression quickly. “No- well, I mean, I guess something, but it doesn’t matter.” Jongdae didn’t press him as he gathered his thoughts, looking away, before finally saying, “I did something else, bad.”

“What?”

“Remember how I did those bad things, back when I was young? I did some more bad things, after you left. Different bad things, well one bad thing, but I shouldn’t have done it.”

“And you’re carrying it on your shoulders again, hyung?”

Minseok nodded weakly. Jongdae sighed inwardly. This man, who Jongdae believed was fundamentally good, did seem to make bad decisions a lot, and then feel guilty about it forever afterwards.

“How bad was it?”

“Can I tell you later?” he asked, “When I’ve thought about how to say it.” He looked pained and guilty, “You’ll think badly about me after, so just let me consider it for a short while.”

Jongdae stared at him gently, then said, “Sure thing, hyung. Let’s go see the others.”

The whole gang was there, Luhan, Chanyeol and Tao. Chanyeol, like the friendly puppy he was, stood at once to greet him, Tao too. It was an odd feeling to remember he was twenty-two when they’d met, and now was sixty-two, technically. He’s lost his slightly youthful edge now, and was gradually transforming into the temperance of his two elder immortals. Luhan was the same as ever, but looking at Jongdae calculatingly, glancing between him and Minseok.

* * *

_“You’re going to go and greet him again, aren’t you?” he’d asked Minseok two weeks earlier. Luhan had gradually become more and more sceptical about the good that was coming from JD’s appearance in their lives._

_“I need to at least apologise,” Minseok defended himself._

_Luhan fixed him a steely look and said, “Doesn’t the fact that you lashed out at him for leaving you possible suggest that watching him come and go isn’t good for you?”_

_“I didn’t mean to! I’d just had a bad day, we’d visited my family, and you know I’m impulsive.”_

_“Minseokkie! Immediately afterwards you ran off and got married. Even you’re not that impulsive!”_

_A small pout formed, “What are you saying?”_

_“I’m saying that he’s not a good influence! And it’s impossible for this situation to get any better, you’re falling for someone who’s impossible to keep.”_

_“Are you my parent?” Minseok snapped, “I’m the one that’s thirty years older! Why are you saying all of this, I thought you liked him!”_

_“I do like him,” Luhan said, “But I also like you, and want you to feel happy.”_

_Looking away, Minseok said in a small voice, “I feel happiest when he’s there. Like I’m alive and human, not long dead.”_

_Luhan sighed and looked at him sadly. It was an impossible situation._

_“You’re addicted to him.” And Minseok didn’t contradict him._

* * *

Upon seeing things looked okay, Luhan seemed to relax. JD wasn’t the kind to purposefully stay mad, or purposefully make someone upset.

“It’s so nice you guys stay together,” JD was saying to them happily, “When I was first seeing these two they’d spend 60% of their time apart.”

“Minseok and Luhan-hyung are loners, it’s Tao and I that liked company and stuck them to us,” Chanyeol said cheekily, as his elders flicked him.

“Have you guys been up to anything interesting?”

All three of their eyes flicked to Minseok, who looked at the ceiling, and then Chanyeol said quickly, “Tao broke his toe falling out of a tree!”

“That was like fifteen years ago and you’re still telling everyone!” Tao yelled, “I was being heroic! I was saving a poor cat!”

“The cat scratched him and he cried!” Chanyeol had to start dodging and stepping back then, apparently Tao was still practicing wushu and wasn’t afraid to use it.

JD was just grinning. “You guys are the most fun people I know, I swear. I don’t know why you guys don’t act like this in the future. Actually, Chanyeol does. He and Baekhyun were a destined meeting I think, their personalities match perfectly.”

“Is Baekhyun cute?” was all Chanyeol asked.

JD just laughed. “You’ll meet him in 120 years, see for yourself then.” Then he tilted his head and changed his mind, “Actually, do you want to see a picture?”

He took out his phone and switched it on. (He usually kept it turned off in a futile attempt to keep it charged for the full two hundred years). Immediately they all gathered round, immensely fascinated by the small rectangle JD carried around with him.

He swiped quickly through the pictures he’d taken, the sunrise at the port, various shots of old cars and the night sky filled with stars. That first one, back in 1816, a selfie he’d taken with Minseok, looking very baffled. “This one was eighty years ago now for you, hyung,” JD said, “We’ve known each other a long time, then.”

“I was six years old when you two met,” Chanyeol realised. “God, time is weird.”

JD eventually reached a photo of him and Baekhyun. They’d been having a movie night and Baekhyun had hijacked his phone and started taking selfies, pulling cute faces and winking, JD in the background laughing.

“He _is_ cute,” Chanyeol gasped. Minseok was meanwhile thinking that JD was the cute one.

He glanced to the present JD, and saw him smiling sadly at the photo.

“Do you miss him?” he asked.

“We don’t usually go for more than a few weeks without seeing each other,” JD said, “Not since we became roommates. I feel weird not talking to him.”

“You don’t have feelings for him, do you? I was totally about to call dibs.” Luhan hit the concerned Chanyeol and JD burst out laughing.

Chanyeol reached to swipe one more time, and saw the picture had a small triangle on it. “What does that mean?”

“It’s a video,” JD said, tapped the triangle, the picture began moving and making sounds.

The screen was showing Baekhyun’s face, grinning and laughing as he dodged JD’s hand. “ _Yah! Baekhyunnie_!” came JD’s voice whining, “ _Give me my phone baaack_!” Baekhyun only laughed more, and then the video ended.

Passers-by were starting to look concerned, and JD quickly turned the phone off again.

“The future is cool,” Tao said, “When are those going to be invented?”

“I think, before 2010? The non-touchscreen ones in the 90’s”

 “The 1890s?” Tao asked hopefully.

“The 1990s.” The youngest immortal sighed in defeat.

The group of them found JD some clothes and then quickly left the town although Minseok had kept his head down, and they’d evaded any of the family members they’d met twenty years before. He had caught sight of that little girl though, the one who took him to his house. She was an adult now, and holding a young baby.

* * *

Evening had set in when they reached their next destination. Chanyeol and Tao disappeared to evaluate the nightlife of this place, and Luhan went to bed.

Jongdae stood outside when Minseok sought him out.

“Figured out your thoughts yet?” he smiled. “You know you could tell the others about your problems too.”

“I did. I didn’t help. I just wanted to tell you too.”

Jongdae’s smile faded. “Well, if they still like you I’m sure I will too.”

“I got married.”

And an uncomfortable jolt spread through Jongdae’s insides. Married? He’d fallen in love? With someone that wasn’t him? Obviously. He’d known it was a dumb crush, and also-

“Why is that bad?”

“Because she was mortal,” Minseok said, “And I, may have neglected to say I wasn’t.”

“Oh,” Jongdae realised, still not fully understanding.

“I also didn’t love her.”

“Oh,” Jongdae’s forehead creased a little, “So… Why did you marry her then?”

“I don’t know. I shouldn’t have. She wanted children and I didn’t tell her then, either, even though I knew immortals couldn’t conceive. She left before I even got a chance to tell her then.” Jongdae couldn’t think of anything to say, and Minseok continued, “It’s so ironic, it’s the opposite of what I did to get the Punishment, marriage not heart breaking, but now it’s the worst thing I could’ve done.”

“How long ago was this?” he asked quietly. He had no right to be hurt, at all, no he was just being dumb.

“Soon after you left, we lasted seven years, somehow.”

Time spent together cumulatively, Jongdae and Minseok had known each other maybe less than two months.

“I shouldn’t have done it,” he said again, head drooping. “My mark only got darker since. I won’t ever be able to fall in love, because of the Punishment. Even if I do it right, I’m still immortal.”

Jongdae thought carefully. “Do you know where she is? Maybe if you seek her out and tell her everything, you can let go of some of your burden.”

“I went to try and find her a few years ago. She has a new sort-of-husband, but we never divorced so nothing legal even if they tried. I think it was the man she left with when she left me. She had children. Even though I found her, I couldn’t find the strength to talk to her.”

An idea lit up Jongdae’s face. “I can come with you! Last time we took a trip to see your relatives, now let’s go see your wife. let’s not argue this time though, okay?” He didn’t know why he said it, just greed for Minseok’s regard, and to instate himself into his life instead of that woman.

Minseok paused for a long time, thinking. “Do you actually think it’s a good idea?”

“Haven’t you wanted to explain yourself?”

“Even though I had a reason to keep my immortality a secret, there’s no excuse for my marrying her without loving her,” he said, “The immortality had no part in it, she essentially saw me for what I was. I don’t think my explaining myself would change anything.”

“You could at least give her the divorce,” Jongdae pointed out, “As a sort of apology, so she could marry that guy or something.”

He considered it further. “You’re right. I owe her that at least, and she probably deserves the full truth, doesn’t she?”

“Totally, totally,” Jongdae wondered if she was pretty.

“Are you sure you don’t mind staying the extra day though? What about your friend?”

“It’s not like we’re entirely dependent on each other,” Jongdae said, “I don’t mind waiting a little longer to help another friend.”

When Minseok smiled at him, it seemed like it was the first real smile of his in twenty years.

* * *

Minseok was feeling anxious. That was actually putting it lightly. He felt like his insides were ripping themselves up inside.

He was about to face a woman he had wronged pretty much like no other, who also hated him, and who also would be just about to learn that he was in fact a mortal and that was one other thing he had lied to her about. Essentially, it wasn’t going to be a very happy reunion.

But beside him was JD, who wasn’t angry at him for what had passed between them before, which was one guilt lifted from Minseok, who had felt bad basically since he’d gotten over being irrationally annoyed like he’d been before. A week was a long time to cool off from an argument, let alone 1045 weeks. But now JD was back with him, pretty and smiley and bright as he always was, and each time he smiled at him, Minseok felt his nerves soothed a little.

The last time he’d seen her was when he went looking for her, on a whim when he decided he would come clean about everything. She was with her two sons and a handsome man, her age, and that aged with her, and she was smiling with a carefree laugh that had been absent in the last half or probably more of their marriage. JD was right, she deserved a divorce at least so that she could marry this new man, who could give her children and smiles.

They arrived at the house, and judging by the familiar young boy who was standing outside fixing the gate with his father, this was still the residence of Mina, his wife.

The father looked up at them as they approached. “Can I help you, gentlemen?” he called over. Minseok didn’t recognise him, which was good as it meant the man didn’t recognise him either.

“We’re looking for Mina,” Minseok said, stuttering just slightly over the name, “I knew her a long time ago.”

The man looked him up and down, “You don’t look of a similar age to her.”

“I was a child,” he lied fluently. “We lived near each other and then she moved away suddenly. I heard of her again and that she lived around her?”

“She lives here,” he said, “I’m her husband. This is our son, Mark. You’ll find her indoors if you look.”

“Thank you, sir,” JD smiled as they went in. There was a startling symmetry to twenty years ago, JD and Minseok going into a house belonging to someone of Minseok’s past and expecting an unpleasant experience.

His heart hammered as they entered the house, and looking into a room, he saw her. And she saw him. Her face was older, twenty years older, but it was definitely Mina. Her face froze upon seeing him, and even though that expression passed, it wasn’t replaced by a pleasant one.

“I didn’t think I’d be seeing you again,” she said, coolly, “And particularly not looking like that.”

* * *

“So,” she said, when the three of them were sat awkwardly down, “Evidently there’s even more about you that I didn’t know.”

“Uh, yup,” Minseok managed, avoiding eye contact. Jongdae was starting to feel distinctly uncomfortable, and like he was intruding, but it would be weird to get up and leave now.

Mina gestured vaguely to him, “What is this? Eternal youth? Witch craft?”

The witch craft comment stung him slightly, as he said, “Um, no, it’s the Punishment of immortality.”

“Punishment?” her eyebrow quirked further.

Awkwardly, Minseok explained, “I used to be mortal, then I’m did something bad, now I’m cursed with immortality.”

She nodded slowly, slightly disbelievingly, and said, “was the bad thing anything to do with...?” she trailed off.

“No,” said Minseok quickly, realising she was referencing to what had transpired with them years before, “I was already close to two hundred years old when we met.”

She blinked at him. Then sighed defeatedly. “You really just had to marry me, didn’t you?”

“I shouldn't have, you're very right,” Minseok began apologetically, but she cut over him.

“No... I would have begged you if you didn’t respond to my hints, back then. You're too nice to have said no. Too cruel to have said no.”

There was a long silence after that, as she gazed over the window and Minseok stared at his feet. Jongdae wasn’t really sure where to look. He suddenly felt a strange sort of kinship with Mina. They had something in common, badly placed feelings for Minseok. She broke the silence first.

“I told my family you ran off with someone.”

He looked a little put off, “Even though it was you that did that?”

“You're not really in the position to take the moral high ground, Minseok,” she said a little sharply, but her eyes showed she felt just a little bit bad.

“No, I guess not,” Minseok said, and then, “and that man.”

“What about him?”

“He said he’s your husband.”

“He is,” she said firmly.

“Well technically, aren’t we still,” he trailed off.

Mina lifted her hand to show a wedding ring, a different one to hers and Minseok’s. “We say we are married, we believe we are and so does everyone else. We don’t keep secrets and we love each other and nothing else matters to us.”

“You don’t want a legal divorce then?” Minseok probed, slightly glad he didn’t have to go through that.

“I just want to bury matters. it’s been twenty years. In fact...” she seemed to realise something, “It’s almost twenty years since we first met. You said once that he came every twenty years.” Her eyes finally landed on Jongdae, who immediately felt the heavy weight of her gaze. Minseok realised at once what she was referencing to, the time traveller he had loved instead of her.

“This is him yes,” he said, and added, “This is my friend, JD.”

She looked confused, “friend?”

Jongdae blinked and spoke for the first time, “Did he say we were anything else?”

“...no that you were a traveller that came every twenty years,” she said, but was looking at Minseok suspiciously. Thoughts were clearly whirring through her head, misconceptions being put right. Luckily, all she said was,

“You look young, are you immortal too?”

“Oh no, no,” Jongdae shook his head rapidly, “nothing of the sort!”

“Then why do you two look the same age?”

Their relationship really was a rather confusing one.

“Physically he's two years younger, actually,” Minseok corrected.

“Physically?”

“I’m technically three hundred and two years younger,” Jongdae told her.

“Jesus, Minseok, how old are you?” she asked in disbelief.

“Only two hundred and six,” he said defensively.

She looked at him in utter confusion. The numbers made no sense.

“I was born in 1992,” Jongdae added helpfully. She didn’t seem to find that very helpful, staring between them in struck silence.

“I’m a time traveller,” Jongdae explained, “I can only go forwards in jumps of twenty years. I age normally though!”

She let his process for a while, her expression looking almost sad in its confusion, and then sighed. “Do you know what, fine. Immortals and time travellers, whatever.” Then she looked directly at Jongdae, “Look, JD, you seem like a perfectly nice gentleman, but would you mind...?”

He shot up immediately, looking eager for the opportunity to leave, “No, no I was thinking I should never have come in in the first place!” He scurried out. They heard the front door shut.

There was quiet between them, and she said, “It was unrequited?”

“Is,” he confirmed.

“You could have mentioned that back then,” she said, face gentler but still tense. She had though they’d been an item that had argued, and she the rebound.

“Would it have made anything different?” Minseok asked.

“No, no,” she accepted, “I mean, you should have mentioned you were immortal, but because of that man in a heartbroken stupor you married me and wasted me of seven years of my life.”

“Don’t call him that man and don’t blame him for my mistakes,” Minseok snapped suddenly. She looked at him with raised eyebrows.

“Is his name actually JD?”

“No. He won’t tell me his real name. He’s not supposed to tell me anything personal about him from the future.”

She hummed, sitting back on her chair. “The circumstances of our marriage were much weirder than I even thought before. Here I was thinking I was the rebound of just any old rocky break up, when I was actually the rebound of an unrequited love between an immortal and a time traveller.” Her eyes turned back to him, “Why did you come here?”

“I’m not sure. I think I was expecting some closure.”

“You don’t want me back, you never even loved me,” she didn’t look hurt by this truth, “I can tell just by looking at you now that you love him.”

Minseok’s eyes hardened.

“I’m not so sure it’s unrequited,” she said absently. He froze. “It’s just a thought. Have you tried actually asking?”

“It can’t work out,” he said, “I’m immortal, I’ll have to see him die eventually. I know he can’t love me because he and I aren’t together in the future.”

“I thought you said he’s not allowed to tell you anything personal about his future?”

And that was when Minseok’s world turned potentially upside down.

* * *

He hadn’t said anything to JD when they were waving goodbye to Mina and her family. There was a small smile on her lips. Her children were beautiful, and he was glad.

He didn’t say anything to JD on the way back. JD must have just thought he was contemplating the day, and didn’t probe him.

There was the terrible truth of a possibility now. It was worse, somehow, than the 100% truth of it being unrequited. That meant it would hurt less when he eventually saw JD die, in the future. But if Mina was right, if it was mutual, it didn’t change anything, and made the situation worse if he had to watch JD grow old and JD had to grow old watching him stay the same.

There was no way out. He had better still keep his feelings to himself. But there was still greed, to have JD anyway, to be able to hold him and no one else to be allowed to.

To be loved by him.

“Hey, hyung,” JD’s voice interrupted his thoughts, “It’s a bit late to travel all the way back tonight. Should we find somewhere to sleep?”

“You’re right,” Minseok said, looking at JD’s face and trying to memorise the features.

The only inn they could find had only one room available, with only a single bed in it. There was a very loud silence between them as they stared at it, narrower than they anticipated.

“We’ve shared a bed before,” JD remarked, but sounded slightly unsure. It had been larger, and Luhan or someone else was usually there too. “Never mind. We can sleep with our heads at opposite ends.”

Minseok pushed down any disappointment threatening him. They took off their outer clothes and got under the covers, each lying at the opposite end, JD putting back his ugly yellow jumper on. Still, their bodies were pressed close together. He could practically feel JD’s pulse, as they were pressed side by side and-

“Hyung, your feet are annoying me, I changed my mind.” JD got out of the bed, Minseok immediately feeling the cold loss of his body heat.

And then, JD walked to Minseok’s end and got in next to him, even closer than he was before and practically on top of him. Minseok prayed he couldn’t feel his heart hammering as JD actually snuggled closer.

“Sorry,” he said, not sounding sorry, “I’m a cuddler.” And Minseok was almost in literal heaven.

And then he realised JD’s heart was beating just as hard as his own was.

* * *

They arrived back. JD’s machine was charged.

“See you in the 20th century, then. 1916.”

JD smiled at him, warmly and a little sadly, then hugged him tightly, and then was gone again, leaving behind only a huge, cold and empty gap, and an even bigger unanswered question.

* * *

The year 1900 rolled around. The century JD would be born, in ’92, and in 1916 it would be a hundred years since he had first encountered that handsome, cheerful, addictive time traveller.

Tao and Chanyeol of course insisted on having a party.

“Why should I party,” Minseok sighed, “This is the 4th century I’ve lived in. I’ve seen the 1600s, the 1700s, the 1800s and now the 1900s. What’s so special?”

“Don’t be a spoilsport, this is the first turn of the century Tao and I have ever seen,” Chanyeol pouted, “And it’s only the 3rd century Luhan has seen.”

And so on Midnight of the 31st of December 1889, Minseok found himself with his three best friends, celebrating a new year and a new century.

“This century we can all be new men,” Tao was saying sincerely, “Let’s all work hard! Maybe we can even have the Punishment lifted!”

“If JD knows us in 2016 then it means we’ll all have the Punishment for at least another 100 years,” Minseok said.

“Don’t be a spoilsport, hyung,” Chanyeol said, poking him, “Just drink and vow to be a new man! JD’s going to be born this century, right?”

“Right at the end of it,” he confirmed gloomily.

“Minseok-hyung has to take a shot whenever he says something depressing or depressingly,” Tao decided, receiving the support of his two other friends and annoyed remarks from the third, and unsurprisingly when Minseok woke up on the first morning of the new century he had a hangover.

* * *

It was about a year later they ran into another immortal.

He looked seventeen, and must have been _actually_ near to seventeen years old, probably under the Punishment for less than a year. He was sobbing shirtless in a hot spring, scratching at the infinity symbol branded onto his skin.

Minseok looked at Luhan. “Another stray,” he said quietly.

He gently approached the teen and took hold of his hand. “Don’t do that, it won’t go away.”

The boy looked up at him with wet, red eyes and tear stained cheeks. Minseok immediately felt sorry for him. He remembered that feeling.

“I didn’t,” the boy choked, “I didn’t _mean_ to, I didn’t think that this could happen to me.” New tears fell down his face.

“It’s not necessarily permanent,” Luhan told him, “You can fix it if you try and right your wrong in the correct way. Take deep breaths.”

“I just needed money,” he said between breaths, “I didn’t know it meant so much to him. That’s what they said I did to deserve it in the dream.”

The dream was what all new immortals had, a day or two after receiving the mark. It was how they knew they had received the punishment, and how they were told explicitly what they had done.

“Who are you two, anyway?”

“We’re immortals, like you,” Minseok told him, “Do you have any family?”

The boy shook his head. It was probably a good thing, and would make things easier for him.

“Then you can come with us, if you like,” Luhan said, “It’s better than being alone. What’s your name?”

The young boy sniffed, and then said, “Zhang Zifeng.”

“What did you do?”

“I stole this guy’s life’s work. He spent his entire life working on the plans, sold his house and everything, and I thought maybe I could get some money for food by selling them, then,” his eyes watered, “I got this mark, and then I had this dream where I heard this voice telling me what I’d done, and that I had to right my wrong. I didn’t realise those plans were so important or I wouldn’t have done it.”

“What were the plans for?” Minseok asked, genuinely interested now.

“You won’t believe me.”

“We will,” Luhan promised.

And then the boy said, “A time machine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anotherrrr chapter. Merry Christmas for yesterday


	6. 1916

They poured over the plans, spreading out the various sheets of paper, sketches, calculations and staring at them.

“They’re obviously unfinished,” Luhan said, “There’s no way this could work yet.”

“It looks exactly like Jongdae’s though, like someone had sketched it from sight,” Chanyeol said in awe.

The appearance of these plans had pulled on Minseok’s heart a little. They were what was going to eventually bring JD to him. With these plans, the future was starting to unfold before them, JD’s future. These plans were going to be built, the machine handed to JD and he would come back in time. JD wasn’t just a figure he saw for momentary pockets of time anymore, he was materialising before them as a real person.

These plans were eventually going to lead him to the real JD, the one with a real name, who wasn’t going to disappear for twenty years, and had no reason to.

“Did you already know about these plans?” asked Zifeng, who didn’t understand the interest they were taking in them.

“Do you believe it’s a time machine?” Minseok asked him. Zifeng nodded.

“It’s labelled.”

“It’ll get built,” he said, “Finished, and then a man will come back in time and meet us. We’ve seen the finished machine, it works.”

“Someone from the future came back using the machine?” Zifeng’s face lit up in wonder, “This one?”

He was quite a charming child really, more of a victim of bad circumstance than a petty thief. He was an orphan, on the streets by himself since he was thirteen. He had seen two old man discussing some plans very seriously, and then left them in a briefcase. Opportunity struck, and he took the briefcase, not realising it contained the lifeworks of those two men.

“I wonder who you took this from, should we return it so they can finish it?” Tao asked, picking up the briefcase to look for a label. He found it, and then dropped the case in shock.

“What’s wrong?” Luhan asked, looking at his wide eyes.

“It says it belongs to Tony!”

“Who’s Tony?”

“Remember those two guys I had with me when we took the machine,” Tao said, “Like, forty five years ago? Tony was one of them. He was super obsessed with it, and drew it a bunch of times. He must have been trying to build a new one when you guys came and took it back.”

“What are you talking about?” Zifeng asked eagerly, seeing a rich backstory to these immortals, the time machine, the plans and the mysterious time traveller.

And so it was explained to him that in the year 1816 Minseok, then only about a hundred and twenty five years old (he was two hundred and ten now) was minding his own business when a young, handsome (Chanyeol added the handsome) man appeared holding a strange machine and said he was from two hundred years into the future. He could only go forwards in jumps of 20 years however, so they met him again in 1836 and then 1856. However, they had been being watched by a man and woman determined to take the machine for themselves, but died before they could and told their son, who was Tao, to finish the job. He did, gaining the help of his two friends Tony and Jaeduck, but then Minseok, Luhan, Chanyeol and the traveller turned up and took it back, and then when Tao got the punishment took him with them too. Then they forgot about the two minions and met with traveller again in 1876, 1896 and now were planning to meet him next in 1916.

“Tony must have been doing this while we forgot him,” Tao said in wonder, “I didn’t realise he was so mad about it.”

“Then we need to return the machine to them, so that they can finish it,” Minseok said passionately, wondering if this blip could cause the machine to never be built, and then they might never meet JD.

They all stood, when Zifeng said, “Well...” They all turned back to look at him. A little sheepishly he said, “I kind of thought I might keep the plans. They have my name on them.”

“What?” Zifeng was suddenly a lot more interesting to them.

“There,” he pointed to one sketch of the machine, where it said, _Zhang Company_. “My name is Zhang Zifeng, it has my name on it.”

They all froze. “This probably isn’t a coincidence,” Luhan muttered to Minseok, “Given all the time travel mess we’ve already seen.”

“Do you have any idea how to build a time machine?” Minseok asked him. Zifeng shook his head. “Then we should return these. You did steal them, anyway.”

Zifeng nodded, guilty and also not wanting to go against such an elder.

They went in search of Tony and Jaeduck, bringing Zifeng with them. Tao enjoyed having him there, seeing as he was no longer the youngest. Back then, he was the young, inexperienced immortal. Now he was old, like Chanyeol and Luhan, and Zifeng was the maknae.

They reached the place Zifeng had been and searched for the two, but only found the wake of a disaster.

“They died in a car crash?” Minseok asked in disbelief.

“Just this morning,” said the vicar’s wife, blowing her nose, “Such harmless gentlemen too, just sitting drawing their machine all day.”

“Poor Tony and Ducky,” Tao said later, “I didn’t realise my parents’ plan had such an effect on their lives.”

“And now what do we do about the plans?” Luhan asked, looking to Zifeng, who looked at the floor.

“He should take them. You said yourself earlier Luhan, it’s not a coincidence his name is on the machine. We don’t know how he’s connected to them, but he should keep hold of the plans. They’re his responsibility too now, because he was the one that took them,” Chanyeol said, who had been deep in thought.

The briefcase was handed to Zifeng. “I can actually have it?” he asked hopefully.

“You wanted them,” Minseok told him. “JD even mentioned Zhang Company once. We’ll be keeping an eye on you, though.”

“That’s fine,” Zifeng said, happy to not be left alone. He also said, “Do I get to meet JD?”

* * *

 

**1916**

A lot happened before Zifeng got to meet JD. A war began, in 1914, when tensions in Europe near exploded, then the UK declared war and Germany declared war and Russia and France declared war and the cause of it all was confusing, but what they did know was that it was all terrible.

Minseok and Luhan had experienced plenty of wars in their life, but none like this one. The Great War, they were calling it, the war to end all wars. They kept far away from it, apart from Chanyeol who like a damned idiot went to volunteer for the British army, and they only heard from him in sparse letters.

And JD had kept all of this from them somehow.

* * *

 

Truthfully, Jongdae had forgotten it. The wars were only mentioned a few times a year officially, on memorial days, and he had been too caught up travelling through time and trying to make it back home to make the connection that he would be landing in 1916, right in the middle of the first world war.

And least of all, as the white faded and he stood in that field again, had he expected to see Uncle Zifeng, Yixing’s father, standing there seventeen years old.

His jaw dropped. “Zifeng!” he exclaimed.

The teenage uncle looked excited, “He knows me! And you’re actually real!”

Jongdae looked between Zifeng and the other immortals he knew. This was so weird. In 2016 Zifeng was middle aged and they were all still in their early twenties, here Zifeng was a teen and they were all... still in their early twenties. Also, as the immortals also had done, his uncle had NEVER once told him that he had met Jongdae before.

At that moment Zifeng was peering at the time machine that Jongdae knew he would later go on to invent. “It says Zhang on it, look!” he grinned excitedly.

Jongdae was still just staring at him, struck dumb.

“You do know Zifeng, then?” and Minseok was there, still the same as he was after every jump, still handsome with quiet intense eyes.

“Yeah,” Jongdae managed, deciding to omit that Zifeng was his best friend’s father that he’d known since he was about six years old and who was the owner of the company that had invented the time machine he was holding.

* * *

 

_“I wonder what Uncle Zifeng wants,” Baekhyun was humming as he accompanied Jongdae down a long corridor in Zhang Company Headquarters. “I hope it doesn’t take long, I’m hungry.” The two were just about to get lunch._

_“Junmyeon-hyung said something about a group of immortals Uncle knows,” Jongdae said, “I’ve never met any immortals before.”_

_“Um, what about Uncle Zifeng?”_

_“Yeah, but he’s not immortal anymore. I meant like someone who’s currently under the punishment. That would be cool.”_

_Baekhyun’s stomach grumbled. “Not as cool as fried chicken,” he pouted._

_“Fried chicken? I wanted seafood,” Jongdae whined._

_It was like unstoppable force has met immovable rock, Baekhyun’s pout vs Jongdae’s whine. The battle was still underway when they arrived at Zifeng’s office and knocked._

_“Come in,” came his voice, sounding somewhat eager._

_Inside were five young men, and as soon as Jongdae stepped into the room, their eyes immediately fell on him as though he was the most interesting thing in the whole world._

_And Jongdae had absolutely no idea what was happening._

* * *

 

A lot of things were starting to make more sense in Jongdae’s life now. They’d known, they’d all known him somehow and never told him. They’d met him in the past, built a strong friendship, and then in the future pretended like nothing had happened.

“Why didn’t you tell me we met when you were younger,” he accused him, “I guess it’s fine they didn’t, but we know each well, Uncle!” The uncle slipped out, a habit, before he could stop it.

Zifeng looked like he was about to question it, when Luhan cut across,

“You never told us all of Europe was going to go to war!”

Jongdae’s mind whirred for a moment, before he remembered, “Oh yeah, it’s 1916. Whoops, I guess I forgot,” he said sheepishly.

“You actually forgot?” Luhan accused, “Chanyeol’s off fighting it right now.”

“Chanyeollie fought in it?” Jongdae gasped, “He never mentioned that to me!” He pouted, “You guys didn’t mention a lot of things.”

“Neither do you, you’ve never even told us your name.”

“I was withholding future information, it’s a rule!”

The argument seemed to be about to go further when Zifeng asked to look at the machine some more. Seeing no particular reason to deny him, Jongdae handed it over.

“Zhang Company,” he read aloud, “But someone like me wouldn’t start a company, I’m a literal penniless orphan.” He looked troubled. He was so completely different from the uncle Jongdae knew from his future, sensible and dignified and wealthy. This must be why Uncle Zifeng never spoke of his past, or his immortality. This was why he always looked at Jongdae so strangely.

Minseok was looking at him strangely too. Jongdae realised he hadn’t greeted him properly.

“Minseokkie-hyung!” he opened his arms for a hug, “How much did you miss me this time?”

He rolled his eyes, but the immortal was smiling as he pulled him into a hug, holding him tightly. “As much as always, JD.”

JD, what a stupid codename. Jongdae couldn’t wait to throw it out.

_“JD- Jongdae!” Minseok called to him, pausing as he corrected himself, a vague look of alarm crossing his features. He swallowed and continued, “Jongdae. You left your coat.”_

_He looked slightly uncomfortable, as though the name was weird in his mouth. Jongdae couldn’t think why._

But Jongdae didn’t mention that, and only held tightly onto Minseok, trying to not be too obvious about inhaling his scent. Aware that it might be weird to hold onto him for too long they ended the hug. Jongdae continued to stare at him though, at that cute but manly face, and then smiled with a rapidly beating heart when Minseok smiled at him first.

* * *

 

Jongdae’s stupid and entirely terrible crush had started about the third time he met Kim Minseok. The first time was on the street coincidentally, but the second time was at the fundraiser ball where the older had been wearing a suit and a tie and looked so edible he felt himself salivating.

So, what was a man to do but go over and introduce himself again. The look of delighted surprise on Minseok’s face had been welcome to Jongdae, who had hoped it was a sign of maybe perhaps reciprocated attraction, but after that night Minseok turned distant. They still saw each other, as he and the other immortals (it turned out Minseok was an immortal) started spending more time at Zhang Company for some reason.

This made Jongdae start spending more time at Zhang company of course, to see him, and see the way his eyes lit up upon finding his own. But then he’d slip away again, refuse to give much information about himself or talk to Jongdae at all, and look at him sadly, and wistfully.

And then there was that moment at movie night where the mask seemed to crack completely, and Jongdae felt as though they were connecting, before Minseok went back to being as uptight as before the next day.

The stupid part of the crush was that it was so unreciprocated, but the terrible part was the fact that Minseok was an immortal and Jongdae was a mortal so it wasn’t like there was anything long term possible anyway. The feelings stayed there anyway, and now in the past it was like Minseok was fanning the flames, by being consistently nice and not hot and cold all the time.

Maybe he was being self-indulgent by trying to keep as close to Minseok in the past as he could, but he was still confused as to why the future Minseok showed no recognition to him, or like, so he could only conclude something bad would happen.

Still, he would take any attention he could get.

* * *

 

JD was just like they had described, Zifeng found. A bright smile, happy eyes, black hair and a mouth that turned upwards at the corners. What they hadn’t told him was that Minseok looked at JD like he was his entire world and JD looked at Minseok like he was the brightest star in the galaxy. What they hadn’t told Zifeng was that Minseok’s usually shadowy expression lit up like a firework as soon as his eyes settled on the time traveller.

The hug was a little too long to be normal, but when he glanced at Luhan and Zitao they didn’t seem to perturbed by it, though Luhan seemed to grit his teeth a little.

Zifeng found himself feeling almost jealous at this connection. He’d always imagined getting married and having a family, but the whole becoming immortal and also immortals can’t conceive or have functioning long term relationships thing kind of put a damper on it.

Also, JD knew him in the future “well,” too, apparently.

Also, JD called him “Uncle”, not “Hyung.” Right now, Zifeng was physically 17, so sure it would be weird to even call him hyung, but why uncle?

Were they super close?

He decided he should talk to JD later.

* * *

 

They all grilled him for facts about the war, but he would tell nothing.

“Okay, if I’m literally not allowed to tell you my name, am I actually going to tell you who won the war that affected the actual entire world?” he pointed out.

“Seriously, JD, we can keep it secret,” Tao was pressing him, “Who’s gonna win? The Germans right, they’re looking strong. Is America going to get involved?”

“I’m not going to tell you! I can’t tell you anything significant about my world!”

“You told us that we’re all still alive and also everything about your friends and general society, also that airplanes were going to be invented!”

“And this war,” Luhan was saying, “You could have given us a head’s up, what if something happens to Chanyeol?”

“Obviously nothing’s going to happen to Chanyeol if I know him in the future,” JD said, “I’ll tell you that much, but please stop asking me stuff I won’t answer I swear.”

“He’s got leave soon, anyway,” Minseok said, “Are you gonna stay to see him?” There was a note of hope in his voice.

JD smiled immediately, “Of course! I hope he doesn’t yell at me like you guys are doing.”

 

Zifeng had been curious as to how JD changed the group dynamic, but as it happened he fit right in. They seemed to know and like each other well, despite the twenty-year gap (it might have helped that it was only a few seconds for JD) and things were even slightly more pleasant, as Minseok smiled and laughed about 80% more than he did in the absence of the time traveller.

Even if it was a doomed relationship if a relationship at all, it made Zifeng’s heart pang as he thought about what he was going to miss out on.

Luhan approached him as he sat brooding in the corner, “What’s wrong with you?” he asked, pushing the younger’s shoulder lightly.

“It’s just sad,” Zifeng said, “that we’re basically screwed in terms of love.”

“Basically,” Luhan agreed. “What’s making you think about that?”

Zifeng gestured vaguely to Minseok and JD, who were sat closely together and laughing. Luhan nodded in realisation and agreement. “Ah. Those two.”

“Is something happening there?”

“Something’s kind of been happening on and off for twenty years. It won’t work out and I keep trying to dissuade Minseok, but every time JD turns up he just... Gets happier, I don’t know. Long term, he’s just going to get sadder.”

“Still, it’s better than having no one, I think,” Zifeng said. “I always thought I’d get married. But I heard how that worked out for hyung.”

“Yeah,” Luhan chuckled lightly, “He can get impulsive. That’s why we know JD so well in the first place. He met him in a field and invited him to stay at our house.”

“Really?” Zifeng asked, gripped.

“Yeah, that idiot. He caused himself so many problems.” Luhan’s gaze seemed to harden a little.

Gently, Zifeng asked, “Do you not like it?”

“I like it that he makes Minseok happy. I like JD as a person, he’s one of the most caring and selfless people I’ve met. But Minseok has been hurt before by their relationship, and done even more impulsive things. He only got married to distract himself from JD.”

Zifeng’s jaw dropped a little. “No way.”

“Yeah. It doesn’t matter though, he won’t listen to anything I say. He just waits and waits for a man who comes every twenty years and stays a matter of days,” Luhan sighed.

“But... like I said before,” Zifeng looked up at the ceiling, “Isn’t it better than having no one?”

Luhan paused before answering with a shrug, “I don’t know.”

“How does JD feel about him?”

“I don’t know. He’s a bit careless, for him it’s seconds, he sees Minseok continuously with no gaps so doesn’t have time to feel the absence.”

“What a situation to be in.”

“Yeah,” Luhan laughed, “It’s definitely a situation.”

They both looked back to Minseok and JD, where JD was talking animatedly, and Minseok was staring at him like he hung the moon, and both simply watched them for a while.

* * *

 

Chanyeol ran to them the second he stepped off the train, usually soft curly hair cut short, and skinnier, but with the same puppy smile and happy laugh, though the shine his eyes slightly dulled.

“JD! You’re still here, did you wait to see me?”

“Of course I did!” JD opened his arms to accept the sweeping hug from the taller.

Chanyeol put him down and looked at him seriously, “No warning on the fact that the world descended into a massive war then?”

“If there were another forty I wouldn’t be allowed to tell you,” JD grinned.

Chanyeol huffed and ruffled JD’s hair, “Bad friend. Are we staying at your house, Tao?”

“Yeah, you’re all on the floor though. It’s hard to fit the six of us all in my one bedroom place,” said Tao.

“You’re so grown up now, Tao, I remember you being twenty two and crying, now you’ve got your own place and everything,” JD sighed. “Ew, you’re eighty two now, right?”

“Yeah,” he sighed, “I think I can feel my joins getting creaky, is that supposed to happen?”

“If our joins started getting creaky Minseok and I would need to oil ourselves daily,” Luhan said sharply, “you youth.”

They were cut across by the loud shriek of the train as it set off again, leaving behind about ten soldiers on the platform. “Let’s get home, it’ll be dark soon and it’s a pain to walk around in the black out,” Minseok said, “Is that all your luggage, Chanyeol?”

Chanyeol patted his duffel bag, “This is all of it. I think I left all my stuff at Luhan’s.”

“You did, I keep telling you to put it in storage.”

“But that costs money!”

“You’re rich! We’re all rich!”

“I’m not rich,” Zifeng said sulkily, “I haven’t been alive long enough.”

“I’m not rich either,” JD said sympathetically. Zifeng smiled at him at the comradery.

They all stepped out of the station and onto the street. Chanyeol seemed to have changed a lot, he had smiled his beagle smile when he’d seen JD, before sinking into a slightly more subdued state. Minseok worried for a moment that the war had changed him, but was suddenly distracted by JD’s laugh reaching his ears that he forgot and started focusing on that instead.

They made it to Tao’s house, a small narrow place that vaguely reminded Minseok of the one he and Luhan had been sharing a hundred years earlier, when they’d first met JD.

Chanyeol tossed himself onto the couch immediately upon entering. “Have you got any food in? I’m starving.”

“Only tinned stuff,” Tao said. He couldn’t be bothered to farm like all the posters were telling him to. “Peaches or anchovies?”

“Peaches, obviously.”

“Get them yourself then, they’re in the cellar.”

“Tao! I just got back from a war, be nice to me!”

“Nah,” Tao yawned, “I’m gonna take a nap.”

“You’re turning into Luhan,” Chanyeol called as he left and they heard his footsteps going up the stairs.

JD stood up, “I’ll go get them for you, Chanyeollie,” he said.

“You’re the only good dongsaeng in this house, I swear, JD-ah. You’re the best,” Chanyeol flopped back on his pillows, wondering if it was too much to ask for a tin opener too. He decided it wasn’t and added it to his order.

JD fake sighed in annoyance and headed down a narrow stair case into the cellar. As promised, stacks of tinned food were piled along the walls. Jongdae wrinkled his nose in distaste, he was one to be organised, and down here everything looked as though it had been haphazardly chucked anywhere. Behind some boxes was a second staircase which must have led out into the garden, but it was hard to tell in the dim lighting. He rooted around looking for peaches and the hurried back out of the must.

“Chanyeollie,” he called, tossing the tin. Chanyeol caught and grinned in thanks. “I’ll go look for the tin opener now,” he said, heading to the kitchen.

“You don’t have to pamper him, JD,” Minseok said, “It’s not as if he’s an invalid.”

“Doesn’t that make me brave? Fighting in the war and hardly a scratch on me? At this rate I’ll live for ever.” His smile faded quickly, the truth of the statement dawning on him. “Ugh. I’ll live forever.”

Jongdae, who had stood listening, turned away as the mood changed. He searched through all the drawers but couldn’t find the tin opener. “Do you guys know where it is?” he asked the immortals in the lounge. They all shook their heads.

He sighed and headed upstairs to Tao’s room.

“Where’s your tin opener?” he asked, leaning through the doorway.

“My tin opener?” Tao blinked as light from the hallway streamed into his dark bedroom. “It wasn’t in the kitchen?”

“No, I looked there.”

Tao swung his legs out of bed and stretched, “It might be in the cellar. I’ll come help look.”

“How have you been living without a tin opener in these times?” Jongdae accused him as they headed downstairs.

“I haven’t stayed in this place for a few months,” Tao defended himself. They reached the lounge and he said, “Everyone come help look, no one’s eating if we don’t find it.”

Everyone apart from Chanyeol, who was lying face down on the couch groaning, went down into the cellar.

Minseok was appalled immediately. “Why is it so dusty? Good lord, do you not even organise your tins by type of food?”

“No, I just kind of put them anywhere.”

The oldest immortal stared at him incredulously, then headed over to the worst corner and started reorganising them, “You guys look for the opener, I’m busy over here.”

Luhan had found a feather duster from somewhere and was getting to work too.

“Just us three actually looking then,” Tao muttered to Zifeng and Jongdae, “The three youngest.”

“I’d help if this mess wasn’t going to give me nightmares,” Minseok huffed.

But even with the three of them, there was no sign of it.

Tao suddenly gasped in realisation. “I actually broke it like four months ago and threw it out. I forgot.”

“Tao! So we’ve been down here for no reason?” Jongdae moaned, “It’s so dusty I think my lungs are clogged. I think it’s Luhan’s fault though.” The mentioned immortal was creating clouds of smoke as he dusted away.

“What are we going to do? You don’t have any fresh fruit and I’m hungry,” said Zifeng.

“Have you got any friendly neighbours who might lend us one?” Jongdae asked, “I want some fresh air anyway.”

“Try Malorie across the street,” Tao suggested.

“I’ll go too,” Zifeng piped up, who had been looking for an opportunity to get Jongdae alone.

“Great, then we’ll leave these two grandpas to clean and I’ll go to bed,” Tao said happily.

“Nope,” Minseok grabbed him, “This is your mess too. You’re staying until we’re done.”

Even as Jongdae and Zifeng left the house, they could hear the ensuing argument.

The sun had set by this point, and the street was pitch black. The blackouts were severe, and even the smallest light was snuffed out by the thick curtains covering every window. It was eerily silent too.

The reality of his situation struck Jongdae, and he asked Zifeng lightly, “Are air raids bad here?”

“It’s a big town, so yeah. We’re leaving for the countryside as soon as Chanyeol goes back in two days’ time. We’re only here because Tao’s house is closest to a train station.”

Anxiety plucked gently at Jongdae’s heart as they crossed the road in the darkness, listening hard in case a bicycle or something came at them. He couldn’t hear any low hum of a plane, but remembered how fast they could move.

Zifeng knocked on the door. They heard shuffling and confused voices, and then a woman opened the door.

“Hi Malorie,” he said, “Sorry for calling so late, but Tao broke his tin opener. Do you have a spare?”

“Oh, yes of course,” she looked out into the street, “Come inside quickly so I can shut the door.”

Her house was similar to Tao’s on the inside, but with different wallpapers. Two teenagers were sat in the living room, peering at them. Zifeng waved.

He said quietly to Jongdae, “Their dad died fighting.”

“Oh.” He caught sight of a picture on the wall, Malorie, the two teens, and a man.

He was reminded again what time he was in, how dangerous it was, what everyone in that time had gone through. Uncle Zifeng rarely mentioned the war or any part of his past, and Jongdae had never really considered the implications of the time.

“Here you are boys,” Malorie reappeared and handed it to them. Her eyes were tired, “Come give it back tomorrow morning.”

They thanked her and headed back into the darkness. Jongdae looked up and at the sky. “Wow,” he said, “Look at the stars.” In the heavy darkness of the street, the sky was completely littered with them. Thousands and thousands were visible in the clear sky.

“Pretty,” Zifeng agreed. “Dangerous though. If they’re out the moon’s out, so bombers can see us. We should go inside.”

But they both remained standing where they were, looking up.

“Are they still there in the future?”

“Yeah. Though you can’t see them in towns, because of the light pollution. No more black outs.”

“I don’t know whether that sounds good or bad. I like the stars.” Jongdae hummed in agreement, and Zifeng continued, “They’re romantic right? I had this dream that me and my wife would look at the stars together like this and I’d learn the constellations and teach them to her.”

“That might still happen,” Jongdae said, thinking about Yixing’s mother.

Zifeng huffed, “No, not any time soon, and I have no idea how to lift my punishment.”

“I don’t think you should give up hope.”

At that comment Zifeng turned to look at Jongdae, realising Jongdae must know something that he didn’t to do with it. He asked, “Am I married in the future?”

“I can’t tell you,” was the immediate reply.

“Are you married?”

Jongdae simply looked at him incredulously, but Zifeng continued, trying to get the bottom of the illustrious relationship between the time traveller and the immortal.

“What about dating, are you dating anyone?”

“Why?” Jongdae frowned, confused as to why Zifeng was suddenly prying into his life, when he wasn’t allowed to say anything.

Zifeng sighed loudly and then said, “You can’t tell us anything about ourselves or yourself, right?”

“Yes?”

“So, if you were dating one of us in the future you couldn’t say.”

“I’m not,” Jongdae said blankly.

“You’re not?” Zifeng was surprised his hypothesis had been wrong.

“No.”

“Not even Minseok?”

Jongdae turned sharply to look at him, eyes widening. He couldn’t tell, right? They’d known each other less than a day (actually he’d known Zifeng for years but Zifeng had only known him for less than a day) there was no way he could’ve picked up on it. There wasn’t even anything happening between them.

Steadying his voice, he asked casually, “Why Minseok?”

“You two are in love.”

All steadiness left him as he managed, “Um, not to my knowledge.”

“You aren’t?” Zifeng frowned.

Maybe it was because he’d never been able to lie well to his uncle, or because he just wanted to tell someone and Baekhyun was a hundred years in the future, but Jongdae said, “Well I mean, I am, but he’s not.”

Eyes brightening, Zifeng said enthusiastically, “yeah he is!”

“No he’s not.”

“Why not?”

Jongdae snapped suddenly, “because he would have said something in the future, or acted like it!”

The Minseok he knew in the future was so confusing. He distanced himself constantly, or would suddenly act tenderly towards him and get his hopes up, and then he’d be distant again and leave Jongdae with a weird confused feeling.

Then Zifeng said,

“If you’re not allowed to say anything about the future, then he’s not either.”

“But it’s his past not his future.”

“His past. Your future.”

“Oh.”

A whole new world opened itself up at that moment.

How exactly did Minseok act? In those tender moments as if he loved him. And then he’d catch himself as if he wasn’t supposed to, and distance himself. The way Minseok’s eyes lit up when they first met clicked into place, the way Minseok asked him what his name, the way he beamed when Jongdae told him for the first time.

“Oooh.”

* * *

 

“I’m just saying, Tao, it’s not hard to put things down carefully and by food type instead of chucking them on the floor,” Minseok was chiding, “And look, this one’s even damaged!” He held up the can accusingly, which had a dent on the top.

“The food’s fine though,” Tao muttered, who was grumpily sat sorting peaches from tomatoes. A cloud of dust courtesy of Luhan covered him, and he started coughing loudly. “Hyung, you did that on purpose!”

“Maybe so, maybe not,” Luhan said.

“Even if you dust it’ll just settle again, there’s not point,” Tao said, “Can we just go upstairs?”

“Not until we’re done,” Minseok hummed.

“Can I at least get some water?”

The two older ones looked at each other in consideration, and then nodded. He shot up the stairs immediately. “He’s not coming back,” Minseok resonated.

“Probably not,” Luhan agreed, “Speaking of, shouldn’t JD and Zifeng be back soon?”

Immediately a smile twitched at Minseok’s face and a gentle glow began in his chest.

Luhan noticed it. He arched an eyebrow. Minseok noticed it. He raised both his eyebrows. Luhan quirked his back. Minseok glared a little. Luhan gave him a judgemental look. Minseok glared harder. Luhan gave a shrug of ‘whatever’ and looked away. Minseok looked away too.

They were silent before Minseok said, “What’s up.”

“Nothing.”

“Are you mad because I was smiling? Am I not allowed to smile?”

“I’m just worried about the same thing as usual.” His grip on his feather duster tightened.

“I don’t need your approval,” Minseok put down a tin forcefully. But then, he said, “It’s a problem, isn’t it?”

Luhan sighed and looked over, “I just think this isn’t positive for your long-term happiness, which seeing as our lives are extremely long term, yeah could be a problem.”

Minseok slumped suddenly. “You’re right. But what can I do? I’m in love with someone I barely see who tears my up every time he leaves and it’s only my own feelings too so that just makes it extra stupid but I _can’t stop, Luhan_!” He flopped down and sat on the floor.

That was when Luhan started thinking. About Minseok, about JD, about what Zifeng had said. _Isn’t it better than nothing_? He considered JD’s smile when he saw Minseok, the way his eyes followed him adoringly. He knew the feelings didn’t belong to Minseok alone, Mina had told them that much, that JD liked him back. But with this situation, there was no happy way out.

Confess, the feelings are reciprocated, become an item, Minseok waits for JD’s time, the year 2016, where JD stops jumping away. However, JD dies and Minseok remains immortal, heartbroken for ever. Or, no confession, and maybe less heartbreak if remaining apart stops Minseok getting attached. Though... Would there be less heartbreak in that situation?

So he stopped thinking about long term happiness, and about happiness alone. And there was only one way for his friend to be happy. “You should tell him.”

Minseok stared, “That was a hard 180 degrees turn.”

“Minseok. Either way, you're planning to keep him in your life?”

He nodded mutely in response.

“Then there's only one difference between confessing and not confessing. You spend like, 80 years together once you meet in 2016 if Mina was right and he loves you, or you don’t tell him and spend 80 years with him apart. He dies either way, but in one world you got to spend 80 years openly loving him, and in the other you kept it to yourself.”

“Won't it hurt more? To lose him?” Minseok asked quietly.

“If you truly love him, it will hurt the same either way, won't it?”

Tao broke the contemplative silence between them by coming back downstairs. “Guys, Yeollie is just lying face down on the sofa, what should we do?”

“Let’s go check-,”

 

The explosion came before the air raid siren.

 

Minseok only had a second to think over how counterproductive that was when ceiling started shaking and there was terrifying creaking and then uncontrollable quaking as they heard the house above them collapse. The support beams and the ceiling started groaning, his ears were ringing from the clanging of his meticulously placed tins falling to the floor.

And then Luhan had grabbed him by the shoulder and was dragging him towards the back staircase into the garden and into the air raid shelter.

Realisations crashed into him one by one. A bomb had just hit the house. It sounded like that ceiling had caved in. Chanyeol had just had a ceiling fall on him. JD and Zifeng were outside, potentially injured. His JD might be injured.

“JD,” he said dazed to Luhan. He was shoved roughly with Tao into the shelter.

“You can’t go out there,” Luhan said desperately, swinging the door shut as another bomb landed nearby. It sounded like the entire street was on fire. The wailing of the siren matched the sounds of roofs caving in and the beginnings of screams from civilians and JD and Zifeng were standing out there and Chanyeol was trapped in the house.

Tao was groaning with his head pressed to his knees, his hands pressed to his ears. Luhan was sat similarly but all Minseok could do was stare at the door and think of the best way of running out without either of them trying to stop him.

Hands settled on Minseok’s shoulders. Luhan’s voice came, “Minseokkie,” he pleaded, “There’s nothing you can do. Once the raid is over we’ll all go out and the fire brigade will come. Until then, just stay in here, with us.”

“Why do we get to be safe when our friends are out there,” Minseok said, as his mind went through hundreds of scenarios, all of them ending with JD dead or worse or dying. He shot to his feet, “I’ve got to go help.”

“Hyung!” Tao choked. Minseok froze. “Don’t go hyung, please.”

So he stayed.

An eternity passed before the all clear siren sounded. The three of them stepped into the night, but it wasn’t dark like before. The house was ablaze, as were several along the street. They could already hear crowds of voices, policemen, fire fighters and neighbours, all crowding around. They ran to the front of the house, where a rescue team was just starting to assemble. No ambulances had arrived yet.

And there was no sign of JD.

Until he heard that shrill, high voice, “ _Minseokkie-hyung! Minseok-hyung!_ ” And then he saw him, JD, waving his arms crazily, unhurt and standing on his own feet.

JD flew into Minseok’s arms and gripped him tightly. “Are you okay?” he was saying into his shoulder, “You weren’t in the house?” Minseok couldn’t find the words to speak, only exhaling and holding JD in relief of seeing him. The anxiety and fear ebbed away as held JD, who was alive and fine and not blown to shreds.

“You two are okay?” Tao sounded tearful.

“We were in Malorie’s family’s shelter,” Zifeng was telling them, “Tao, your house, I’m so sorry.”

“Chanyeol’s inside,” he said and that was when JD pulled away to look at them in shock.

“Chanyeollie?” he asked, eyes wide.

Luhan spoke to him urgently. “He’s alive in the future, you’ve seen him?” JD nodded in reply. He hadn’t left Minseok’s arms yet.

“So he’s fine,” Zifeng said, “Right? He’ll be okay?” He looked anxious. There was a creak and a crash as their house collapsed further in on itself, and the crackling of the flames increased in volume. Everyone watched was bathed in the flickering amber light, the fire reflected in their eyes.

The fire brigade was busy shooting water at the flames, and the rescue team were already trying to gain access. Malorie and her two sons were stood with them now, looking as shell shocked as they were.

Finally, the rescue team started shouting, and the flames were being controlled by the fire fighters, and then a body was pulled out. “Chanyeollie,” Luhan gasped, lurching forward to see him.

He was alive, but immediately loaded onto an ambulance and then taken away from them. There was no point trying to get to the hospital that night, it was too dark to get to anyway and the place was miles away, so they were allocated to a neighbour’s house to stay the night. Malorie made them tea and then they slept on the floor in her living room, her sons bringing them blankets and pillows.

JD and Minseok lay close together, and Tao sat awake all night until he fell asleep with Luhan stroking his hair.

They took the bus early the next morning to the hospital they knew Chanyeol had been taken to. JD was staring at the window nervously. To calm his nerves, he then reached for Minseok’s hand and thankfully didn’t notice the corresponding increase in heart rate that followed. They hopped off and entered the large, concrete building. It seemed like the raid had been a big one, because many friends and family were milling around asking to see loved ones.

They were told the ward Chanyeol was on, and headed there quickly. Their friend was unconscious, a few bandages were wrapped around his head and arms, but other than that his chest rose and fell, and he slept peacefully.

“His main issue was smoke inhalation and minor burns. He was lucky, the ceiling fell on him, but in such a way that he wasn’t directly struck by any wood or plaster,” the doctor told them, “We’re waiting for him to wake up naturally before we can tell the extent of the damage of the smoke on his brain.”

They collectively sighed in relief, and then formed a circle around their friend. The tallest of the group, the charismatic one out of the five immortals. The extrovert was now subdued, and seemed so small lying on the bed. JD reached out to pat his head gently.

Minseok watched him, the young time traveller that meant so much to him, that he could’ve lost. It seemed like a crime of nature, for the one who lit up the world like the sun to be taken away like that. He should’ve known nothing would happen to him, the universe wouldn’t have allowed it.

When he went to get some water, Minseok followed him.

“We didn’t get a chance to talk much, last night,” he said, “Are you okay?”

JD looked surprised, “Of course I am, it’s Chanyeollie that got injured.”

“But are _you_ okay? I was-,” he gulped, “So _worried_ , JD. I kept thinking you’d gotten blown up.”

“I’m fine, Minseokkie,” JD said, “Malorie came and grabbed as the second the siren started. _I_ was worried about _you_ , I heard the house fall.” His eyes softened, “I didn’t want anything bad to happen to you, ever.” Minseok’s heart warmed immediately, then JD added, “But I remembered that you’re fine in the future, so nothing too bad could’ve happened.”

So then all Minseok could do was laugh, and then they left the water fountain and went back to see their injured friend.

* * *

 

Chanyeol was awake the next morning when they went to see him. His eyes stared blankly at the ceiling. Zifeng was reading him the newspaper and Luhan was arranging flowers on the window sill.

“Chanyeollie,” Jongdae called quietly as he stepped in, “How do you feel?” Chanyeol’s eyes flicked away from the ceiling to look at him, and then away again. Zifeng continued reading.

Jongdae walked closer to him, feeling worried. He hated seeing his friends injured and even more seeing them upset. He didn’t say anymore but sat down next to him and listened to Zifeng read, pretending not to notice him skipping any news of the war.

It was two days later he spoke for the first time, when it was just Jongdae in the room, as everyone else had gone to the toilet or canteen.

“Isn’t it ironic?”

His voice was croaky, Jongdae’s head shot up to look at him.

“I was in a war zone, and I end up hospitalised on my break.”

Jongdae reached over to take his hand, having no idea what to say. Chanyeol looked over at him, his eyes sad and distant, and then looked away again, but gently squeezed Jongdae’s fingers, so softly he was only half sure it had happened.

The next day he was able to sit up, but still he seemed to depressed.

“Cheer up, dear,” a nurse told him, “Be glad to be alive.”

After she left, Chanyeol told them, “I wish I wasn’t.”

“Chanyeol...” Luhan started.

“I was thinking, when I was in the house, what a good opportunity it was. I’ve been alive too long already, I want it to end. I kept waiting to die and it wouldn’t happen.”

“Hyung,” Tao said in shock. Chanyeol was the one in the group who was happy, who hadn’t been alive long enough to turn bitter. Over a hundred years old now, Minseok realised he had turned the corner. No longer was he the forty-six-year-old he met in 1856 that was vibrant and exploring the world, but he was one hundred and six and seen everything and now was tired of everything. He was older than Luhan had been when JD had first met Luhan. Almost as old as Minseok had been, who was equally tired of everything than, and also tired now.

Minseok knew exactly how he felt, but he had never imagined it to be so pitiful when seen on someone else.

But suddenly, JD flipped it around, just as he did for Minseok every twenty years.

“Chanyeol, your punishment was lifted,” JD choked suddenly. They all looked at him in shock. He took in a deep breath, “Chanyeollie, you know my friend Baekhyun? I mentioned him?” Chanyeol nodded, otherwise frozen. “You’ll fall in love with him. He’ll fall in love with you. You’re both terrible at relationships, you’re perfect for each other. Your punishment is lifted because you finally learned to love sincerely.”

“Really?” he asked, as his wet eyes finally filled enough for tears to fall.

JD nodded fervently, “It happened weeks ago, you were so happy. So you have to live, Chanyeol, for him.”

“Really?” Chanyeol seemed to have not heard him, eyes glazed at the thought of his mortality awaiting him.

“You said once you thought he was cute, remember?” JD reached into his pocket urgently, pulled out his phone and turned it on. He found the picture of his friend. “See?” Baekhyun was smiling in the picture, in the middle of laughing, he was holding a hand to his heart. On one finger was the word “Loey”. Chanyeol looked to his own hand, where Loey was written too. It was his hand that Baekhyun held so tightly.

Calm quiet settled over them as they thought over JD’s words, which held deep meaning outside even his own comprehension. The idea of losing the punishment, of mortality and love being available, was something no immortal took lightly. For Chanyeol, it was life that JD had given him.

What he said was, “You shouldn’t have told me that, will you get in trouble?” but his face had lost the shadow.

JD grinned, “Only if you tell Junmyeon that I told you.”

“Then I’ll make sure not to,” and he smiled back. “Seeing as your in the mood for breaking rules, tell me your name.”

“No.”

“I almost died and fell into a deep depression so tell me your name!” Chanyeol insisted.

“Don’t emotionally blackmail me, I’m not saying,” JD stuck out his tongue and it felt like the whole room had relaxed suddenly, and Minseok was reminded not for the first time that JD really was the centre of the entire universe, and he wanted to orbit him forever.

So he decided he should probably tell him.

JD was fiddling with his machine when Minseok found him. He was checking the dials. When he realised he was there, JD smiled and said, “It’s at 100%. Now that Chanyeol’s feeling better I guess I’ll head off. I’ve been staying so long I’ll miss my brother’s wedding at this rate.”

“It’s always a pleasure having you,” Minseok said earnestly, and JD’s happy laugh in return made his entire existence worth it.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you, Minseokkie,” JD said, “I think this entire time travel ordeal would have been awful for me if you hadn’t always been so nice to me.”

“I don’t think I’m a naturally nice person, I think I only ever want to be nice to you.”

“ _Hyung_ ,” JD’s expression seemingly turned to goo. “You’ll make me cry. And you’re nice to the others, too!”

“They call me gloomy old man for a reason,” he walked closer to him and sat next to him. “How long until you leave?”

“I’ll say goodbye to everyone first.”

“Good. That gives me time to say what I want to say.” Jongdae’s expression melted to one of curiosity and his eyes widened softly. Minseok continued, “Don’t interrupt me, okay?” Jongdae nodded.

“Chanyeol a few days ago in the hospital, do you remember? He was just lying there staring at the ceiling, old and tired and wanting it to end. That was me, a hundred years ago, before we met. I was even older then than he is now. The punishment feels heavier and heavier with time, all I wanted was to be rid of it, to age, to die. I couldn’t see anything in life that was worth living for. And then light came, literally. You appeared in front of me in a flash of light. The other day in just a few words you made Chanyeol want to live again, you saved him. You did the same for me all those years ago. I mean, maybe weeks for you, but a hundred years for me. I think if you hadn’t come for me then, I’m not sure I would’ve made it to now.

“You were like the sun to me, after a lifetime of night. Your smile lit a flame in me that had been burnt out for years, it was like you thawed me after a long winter, like your smile guided me out of a deep labyrinth. Suddenly I had a reason to live another twenty years, because after our first meeting all I wanted was to wait twenty years and see you again and feel how you made me feel again. And then I wanted to wait another twenty years, and then another twenty years. It made things bad too, after you left it was like it was darker than it had been before, but then you made it even brighter each time.

“Our prospects aren’t good, and even in the future if we aren’t together yet I want to assume it’s because of your rule and I’m just not telling you your future, which I hope is us. And if that is the case then all I want is to wait for you until 2016, when I’ll meet the you that doesn’t leave so soon, and we can stay together until you die of old age, or I die of old age because I’ll make it my life’s mission to remove the punishment so we can be mortals together.

I’ll wait another hundred years for you, exactly like this, I’d do anything for you.”

He finished and sat back. JD stared at him with his mouth hung slightly open.

Minseok added, “but that’s only if you like me too, because I was making kind of a crazy assumption. If you just want to stay friends that’s fine too.”

And then JD’s bright laugh filled the room.

“What?” Minseok asked, embarrassed suddenly.

“Hyung,” he giggled, “You never say anything usually. Every conversation we’ve had you’ve said two sentences at a time at most.”

“So?”

“So, this,” and JD leant forward, grabbed Minseok’s face and kissed him. At the moment of the press of their warm lips together a rush of warmth immediately spread through the immortal. JD’s body so close to his, his lips moving gently and if Minseok had been addicted before it wasn’t anything compared to now. His hands moved to the time traveller’s shoulders and he deepened, completely intoxicated by the way it felt. It was nothing like with Mina, or any of the lovers he’d had in his early life, it was joy and beauty and love wrapped into one.

Also, JD was _really_ good at it. His mouth moved expertly, and then he felt his tongue teasing at his lips and opened willingly. The kiss deepened seamlessly, and the world faded into a cozy grey fuzz as the only thing that existed was him and his man- and the time machine whose corner was digging into his hip.

He pulled away and moved it, glaring at it for disturbing him. Turning around, JD’s face was still close to his. He could see every feature, from his long eyelashes to upturned mouth and sharp cheekbones, and so he kissed all three and drank in JD’s light laughter.

“Do you like me too, then?”

“I liked you first, hyung,” JD beamed, “I liked you when I first appeared in that field.

Minseok grinned cheekily, “Then when you met me in 2016 I liked you first, because I’m sure I’m going to keep liking you until then, so maybe I liked you first.”

“Chronologically I liked you first, in 1816 I liked you and you didn’t know who I was.”

“Chronologically, when we meet for the first time with no time travel involved, it’d be me that liked you first.”

“Okay but if I hadn’t time travelled you wouldn’t have known me, so then I’d have liked you first.”

“Maybe I would’ve started liking _you_ sooner.”

“Maybe we would’ve started liking each other at the same time,” JD finished, eyes crinkling, so Minseok leant forward to kiss him again, because he knew he wouldn’t be able to for another twenty years afterwards.

He pulled away with a gentle smack and said, “Have you really got to go soon?”

JD nodded, but looked sad, “If I keep staying for long stretches of time like this my family will worry, and my friends. And if you keep your promise and keep liking me in a hundred years, then _we’ll_ have less time together then if I keep staying here.”

“You’re staying to say goodbye to everyone, though?”

“Yeah,” JD nodded. “So, let’s kiss some more until tomorrow.”

“Good.”

* * *

 

Tomorrow came. This year there was an extra person to hug goodbye, his Uncle Zifeng but seventeen years old, and who referred to him as “hyung”.  The goodbye would’ve been longer anyway, because his hug with Minseok lingered until Chanyeol said, “Guys, stop.”

“See you all then,” he grinned.

And then he was gone as soon as he’d arrived, in that flash of light, as though he hadn’t turned all of their lives around and upside down.

“Are you okay?” Luhan asked him, when Minseok returned to earth.

“Yeah,” he said, and he meant it. Because there was a future ahead of him, and he liked the look of it. Even as the war was in turmoil around him, finally inside him there was peace.

So Luhan smiled at him, genuinely, and then they all went about their daily business, and waited another twenty years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written from a pretty British point of view of world war one where there were lots of air raids. I set in England because I’m from England and have been envisioning pretty much all the scenes in English settings (like the town from chapter 1 etc) and also because Chanyeol was volunteering for the British army. Basically I know a lot about the uk in ww1 so it was easiest for me to set it there lol. 
> 
> INACCURACY: I set it like a ww2 air raid (i.e. the sirens and Anderson shelter) bc I don’t know much about ww1 ones. You guys probably didn’t notice but in case any history nerds well read about ww2 and ww1 noticed I’m owning up to it. This is an exo fanfiction anyway not a historical drama so I don’t think any of you were expecting it to be accurate anyway
> 
> Other notes: it’s been ages! I got caught up with school work and I got a day free so here I am. My exams are in a week so I should be revising, basically any time other than now would be better but inspiration strikes when inspiration strikes.  
> Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it! This was the longest chapter so far too, 9000 words.


	7. 1936

_2016_

_Jongdae and Baekhyun were watching a movie together. Well, in reality, Jongdae was deep on thought about the mixed messages a certain immortal kept sending him, and Baekhyun was texting another certain immortal who he had started dating. It was a bit of a risky choice, but Baekhyun had never been one for making particularly good choices when it came to dating. And Jongdae wasn’t one to talk either, seeing as he himself was starting to crush on Minseok._

_The difference between Minseok and Chanyeol was that Chanyeol showed his heart on his sleeve and returned Baekhyun’s affections eagerly, while Minseok was hot and cold on a moment’s notice._

_Baekhyun let out a loud squeal and threw his arms in the air._

_Jongdae flinched at the sudden noise and turned to him, “What’s happened?”_

_“I’ve got a daaate,” Baekhyun sang, “With a hot tall immortaaaal.”_

_“I didn’t know you were interested in Kris.”_

_Baekhyun swatted him, “It’s Chanyeol, obviously.” He stuck his tongue out. “Are you jealous?”_

_“Of you or of Chanyeol?”_

_“That my cute immortal asked me out, while your cute immortal is buffering,” Baekhyun finished._

_“I don’t have a cute immortal.”_

_“Does the name Kim Minseok ring any bells?”_

_Jongdae turned away and pulled his pillow to his chest. “He definitely doesn’t like me.”_

_“He definitely does,” Baekhyun countered, “Even if he acts weird, he seems totally in love with you.”_

_“We don’t even know each other that well,” Jongdae frowned, because they didn’t. He’d known Minseok barely months, with limited contact. And Minseok acted so weird around him too, so there was definitely no way, no matter what Baekhyun said._

* * *

Looking back (or forward?), a lot of Minseok’s behaviours made sense now. It had been barely months for Jongdae at that time, but for Minseok it had been two hundred years of knowing him. He must have acted weird because Jongdae didn’t know him while Minseok knew Jongdae so well, adding up to all of Minseok’s strange behaviour.

Chanyeol’s immediate interest in Baekhyun upon meeting him made sense too. Kyungsoo had mentioned once it was rare for an immortal to openly flirt with a mortal, because of all the tragic consequences et cetera. Chanyeol’s lack of fear made sense, if Jongdae had already told him the outcome a hundred years prior.

All of his interactions with the immortals felt weird to look back on now.

The way Chanyeol called his name and then giggled like it was a joke, ( _Hey, Kim Jongdae! Look, it’s Kim Jongdae!_ ).

Zifeng refusing to tell him anything about his past as an immortal, because Jongdae had been a part of it.

And that day when he first met Minseok, and Minseok had stared at him wordless before breathlessly asking what his name was. Jongdae had no idea why this stranger wanted to know who he was so badly, but told him.

It was because Minseok up until then had only ever known him as JD, but in 2016 where everything was caught up, there was no reason for him to not tell him his name.

Weird, weird, weird, it was all so weird.

And then it occurred to him: what if Minseok hadn’t waited? A hundred years with only short visits every twenty years is a hard to schedule to maintain a relationship over. Would he actually wait the twenty years, or get over him? His behaviour in 2016 didn’t necessarily mean he still liked him, it could have just been surprise at seeing him. Maybe they’d broken up in the 1970s, or even in 1936, when they’d next meet.

Would Minseok even wait?

* * *

 

**1925**

Minseok was waiting. As he checked off another year (nine since he’d last seen JD, eleven to go, almost half way) he smiled only slightly sadly at the calendar, before turning away, ready for another year.

They’d won the war, but tensions were far from being over in Europe so they’d moved to the countryside and were staying there for as long as possible.

Transport had improved so much since the 1700s, there were massive ships (though he’d been a little nervous to board one since Titanic had happened in 1912) and even airplanes, that he remembered JD mentioning once years ago.

“It’s faster to travel by air,” he’d said cryptically, and now it was happening as he’d predicted.

Minseok liked the countryside, it reminded him of the way the world used to be when everyone lived out there, and before even small towns started industrialising and producing thick black smoke from their chimneys. It also reminded him of meeting JD that first day in the middle of the night in the middle of a field when a strange man with ripped trousers appeared and called him hyung as though he knew him.

On the other hand, Chanyeol was getting restless. “The war’s over, why are we staying here? We can get places so fast now let’s go somewhere interesting.”

“It’s safer, remember the bombing?” Luhan said, not looking over at him and scribbling furiously at a letter.

“Well if the bombing might start again then let’s go do something fun in the meantime,” he argued back, walking over to peer over his shoulder. “Who’s this?” he asked, looking at the letter.

“Tao’s still in America, I’m trying to tell him to come home but he’s made a friend or something and is having a great time,” Luhan sighed. “I guess it’s not like we have to stay together... But I’m kind of used to it now.”

“I used to see you once every five years if I was lucky,” Minseok agreed.

But somehow, he liked this arrangement better, it was almost like having a family.

Chanyeol’s face had brightened with an idea, “If Tao won’t come to us, let’s go to him!” he said eagerly, “New York City sounds fun! I’ll telegram Zifeng and make him come too!”

Zifeng had been staying in the city for a few months, because as technology was advancing he’d suddenly gotten excited about the plans for time machine, and how quickly he could make it and start up the “Zhang Company”. Still, it didn’t take much convincing to get him to join them on their grand excursion to New York City.

Tao was waving at them excitedly the moment he saw them as they stepped off the ship and into the crowd of people. He was with a tall guy, the same height as Chanyeol, with longish black hair, stood slightly slouched and wearing what could be described as a cool guy expression. It only took a second glance to see that he was immortal.

“This is Yifan, you guys,” Tao introduced, gesturing wildly, “Though he goes by Kris in America, cool right?” It was quite endearing how happy Tao was with his new friend, who looked physically a few years older, but by his eyes was probably younger.

“Hey,” Kris said. He was handsome, women were actually stopping to look at him as he stood there talking to them.

“You're Tao’s new friend?” Luhan asked, shaking his hand.

“We met at a jazz club!” Tao said, “Kris knows all the best ones. All the security guys know him!”

Chanyeol’s jaw dropped, impressed, and Kris shrugged. “Can you take us to one?” Chanyeol asked immediately, having come to this city with the sole intention of partying.

Minseok and Luhan hated clubs like this, Zifeng was impartial, but Chanyeol and Tao were having the times of their lives, right in the middle of the dance floor with two random girls (it turned out Tao was a pretty good dancer, and Chanyeol was... as enthusiastic as usual). Kris sat with the rest of the immortals however, occasionally signalling to a waitress he knew for a drink.

“Have you lived in New York long?” Minseok had to yell over the music.

“Thirteen years,” Kris answered, “I got here in nineteen twelve.”

“Oh wow, that’s a long time, we rarely stay in the same place for a while.”

“New York is constantly changing, so.”

Minseok struggled for something else to say. “How old are you?”

“Thirty-nine.”

Younger than Minseok had thought. Kris looked in his mid-twenties, which probably meant, after some mental calculations, he’d been in New York about the same time as he’d been immortal. Not a coincidence, but none of Minseok’s business and he didn’t ask anything else.

“What about you?”

Minseok had to think, he’d lost track lately. “Two hundred and... Twenty-nine,” he said, wincing as he realised. Kris’s eyebrows raised too.

“Wow. You look... I didn’t think you were that old.”

“You and I are around the same,” Zifeng interjected, “I’m forty-one.” It had been hard to get Zifeng into the club though, due him to looking seventeen.

“So I’m the youngest out us,” he looked put off by this, as physically he looked older than Tao, Chanyeol and Zifeng.

“Until JD comes back, he’s twenty-four,” Zifeng said absent-mindedly.

Kris was intrigued immediately. “Who’s JD?”

Zifeng’s expression went blank immediately and he blinked uselessly. Luhan gave out a low whistle and slumped backwards, not wanting to be the one to explain that mess.

“He’s, well he’s,” Zifeng struggled for words.

Minseok sighed, and said, “Do you believe in time travel?”

“I’m willing to see where this is going,” what Kris said, eyes wide as the long, long tale was told to him.

About time travel, and this guy who knew them in the future, and who Minseok was kind of dating but he wouldn’t be back until 1936, but Minseok was waiting for anyway.

“If any of that’s true,” Kris said, “That’s so wild.”

“It’s pretty wild,” Minseok agreed.

“And harsh, man,” Kris patted Minseok’s shoulder. “Waiting for your boyfriend for like twenty years, woah. One time my girlfriend was going to Chicago for two weeks and I couldn’t even wait that long before I got a new girl.”

This made Luhan frown a little, but Minseok seemed to be enjoying the sympathy. As they spent more time with who at first seemed like a cold city man, they realised he was secretly kind of dumb not cool, but also quite fun to be around. He was modern guy, too, knew his way around New York and seemed to know somebody everywhere.

“What’s your JD like?”

That opened the gates, and Minseok spent the next twenty minutes speed talking about the nicest, funniest, cutest guy he’d ever met, who made him feel happier than anything, and who was just so friendly to everyone and once a baby had been crying and JD had picked her up and she’d stopped.

Kris watched, amused and a little taken aback by the immortal’s devotion to the mortal who he only saw once every twenty years. Kris hadn’t even been immortal for twenty years, that time frame barely made sense to him. Minseok and JD had met years before he was even born, even before his mom was born.

“It’s eleven years until I see him next, we’re past the halfway mark,” Minseok was still talking, “That’ll be 1936, and then it’ll be less than a hundred years until we meet for the final time in 2016 when he’ll stop having to do the jumps to get back home.”

That seemed like an insane amount of time to Kris, but Minseok made it sound like it was just a moment away. “What does he look like?”

“He has this kind of unique collection of features but he looks handsome anyway, like really sharp cheekbones, straight eyebrows, and his mouth slants upwards but he’s still like really cute??”

Kris had decided he liked these immortals, they were kind of different to the ones he’d met in America, who’d tended to live as loners and stay in their lavish establishments instead of in a group, like these ones.

He’d have to be careful not to get too close though, it was definitely better for him to stay as a loner type. Since he’d done that thing, he didn’t want to ruin a perfectly good family by being in it. Still, it didn’t hurt to hang out with them.

“It’s not hard to go from a nobody or a somebody,” he was telling Chanyeol in yet another trendy, private club, “But I’ve come a long way, when I first arrived I was just some broke immigrant, but now I’ve got a whole life here.”

“How do I do it?” Tao asked immediately, getting a swat from Luhan.

“First you need connections,” Kris continued anyway, “And you’ve got a connection. Me.”

Tao gasped happily.

“I think he’s really planning on living here,” Minseok muttered. They spent the next few weeks in New York with Kris, who melted somewhat casually into their group. They would have easily let it happen, but the resistance came from himself, he seemed unwilling to completely join them.

When they finally left (Tao did come), he stayed behind. They asked him to come visit them, and he said that he might.

In one final bid to maintain his friend, Tao said, “You’ll come meet JD, right?”

Kris said, “Where?”

“August 10th 1936, we’ll send you the address,” Minseok said, who also knew the exactly time of day it would be (11:14 am) but thought that was excessive to add.

As they sailed away, he ticked another day off until JD would be there again, counting the days like he promised he would.

* * *

**1936**

Jongdae knew they must have met Kris at some point, seeing as he knew him in 2016, but he was still surprised to see him.

After initially flinging himself at his Minseok, he took a moment to say hi to everyone at else, and at once realised the new addition.

“Yifan-hyung,” he said.

Kris’s eyebrows raised a bit, “That’s me.”

“You’re here too now,” he said, starting to smile, “I wondered when they’d meet you.”

“I hate it when you do that, predict things,” Chanyeol huffed, “We won the war by the way, thanks for telling us.”

Jongdae stuck out his tongue, and felt a little guilty as he thought about the second world war, impending in three years’ time.

Kris was looking him up and down, and at his machine, “So you are actually a time traveller. I kind of believed them, but also not really until now.”

Jongdae only laughed. He liked Yifan-hyung, even though he liked to pretend he was cooler than he actually was. The immortal gang was finally complete, he realised. In the future when Zifeng introduced him there had been five. Minseok, Luhan, Chanyeol, Tao and Kris. Gradually over the years he’d gotten to see how they joined the group, which they’d refused to tell him in 2016. Now it was pretty clear they’d refused to tell him because he was such a big part of the story.

The five of them had then fit in with his own friends. Baekhyun and Yixing, his roommate and childhood friend, and the Zhang company employees he was close with Junmyeon and Kyungsoo, and Kyungsoo’s friend Jongin and Jongin’s friend Sehun and then twelve of them made a group chat and started hanging out like it was normal, and almost half of them weren’t just casually immortal.

Jongin, who had a crush on Kyungsoo, so when the day came for Junmyeon (the one who was supposed to pilot the machine) to test it, he had come into the company to watch and see Kyungsoo, and then hadn’t payed attention to the safety talk and pressed the red button while Jongdae had been holding the machine and sent him back in time.

He relayed this story cheerfully to Kris, even though Kris would eventually see it happen in real time, but leaving out the name Yixing (that was a yikes if he told Zifeng his future son’s name) as well as a few other key details.

In the meantime, he gripped Minseok’s hand tightly in his, because to be honest he wasn’t sure how long this thing between them was going to last if there was gonna have to be a twenty year gap each time, so he made the most of it, while Minseok made the most of having him there, as he knew it wouldn’t be long before he left again.

They had come back to London to see him, but Tao had sold his old house and gotten a bigger one (“I’m finally making money, JD,” he’d said excitedly), but they didn’t live in Britain anymore, they’d relocated to a different country seeing as they’d only gone because Chanyeol decided to join the British army.

It was useful to have a place to stay though, and also useful because Minseok casually made an excuse to show Jongdae the garden while everyone else stayed inside.

“Ah hyung,” JD was saying as he strolled down the path, “It is nice. Does Tao hire a gardener?”

“Yes,” said Minseok, and then pulled JD by the waist towards him and kissed him like he’d been waiting to for twenty years. He responded immediately, taking his hands to Minseok’s shoulders and responding as enthusiastically, even if he hadn’t had to wait all the time.

They could have just been two people in love, in a pretty garden in the warmth of mid-August with the quiet chirps of birds and the smell of flowers floating over to them, and just kissing as though their reality wasn’t heart breaking and infuriating.

“You should have told me,” JD said, pulling back, “In the future, that we met and went through all of this together. I’d have believed you, we could’ve just dated in the future!”

“I’m not wholly sure what my reasons were for not telling you, but seeing as I stand by them the future I’ll just have to,” Minseok told him. “Anyway, we are going to date in the future, as soon as I get there.”

“But there’s... so long to go,” JD sighed and looked at Minseok guiltily, “I feel bad, that I jump from year to year and you wait each time. I mean, is it actually sustainable?”

Minseok stared at him quietly for a moment, before bring his hand to JD’s cheek. “I think time seems different to you than to me. I’m more than two hundred years old, so twenty years is less than a 10th of my life. You’re 24? A 10th of yours is two years. Two years isn’t so bad, people have stayed apart that long and retained love. The time flies to be honest, and it’s worth it, and there’s no alternative so we’ve just go to live with what we’ve got, right?”

“It’s still not fun.”

“What’s fun about life anyway,” Minseok said, “And everything’s worth it when I look at you anyway.”

JD’s eyes widened, and then he smiled bashfully and then delightedly, and everything was definitely worth it.

* * *

 

“This kitchen is much more spacious than your last one, Tao,” Jongdae said as he helped chop vegetables. “I like it.” Tao himself was sitting at the table reading, having no interest in cooking, while Chanyeol was cooking meet and Luhan was washing up as they cooked.

“My old house was too narrow and cramped, I feel cooler with a bigger house,” Tao said, “When I have more money I’m going to get an apartment in New York. Kris, can you tell me nice areas to live?”

Kris waved vaguely, “I’ll get you in touch with a few of my favourite estate agents.”

“Tao’s become obsessed with New York lately, that’s where Kris lives,” Luhan explained.

Jongdae turned to him, “I didn’t know you lived in New York, hyung.”

“Don’t I?”

He shook his head. “You all live in Seoul to my knowledge. I’ve never known you even fly over there, though I guess I’ve only known you a few months.”

But Kris was blinking at something else. “Fly? Can I fly?”

“Oh, I meant in a passenger plane.”

Kris slumped, “I’ve always wanted to be able to fly. Like a dragon”

“You know, I thought you were cool when we first met, but I’ve gradually realised you’re not,” Luhan hummed. “You tell too many dad jokes.”

Jongdae was still hanging onto what Kris had said before though, “So, hyung, you live in New York? All the time?”

He nodded, “Yeah, that’s where my whole life is. If these guys want to see me I make them come there, I only came to England to meet you, man. A time traveller is a once in a lifetime thing.”

“...So, you don’t hang out with them all the time like they do?”

“He doesn’t want to join our group,” Zifeng said, who had arrived back from grocery shopping with Minseok, “Kris is a loner at heart.”

Kris didn’t say anything to contradict him, but Jongdae noticed he looked down at his lap, as though there were an alternate reason he was keeping to himself. In any case, he was confused. In the future Kris had seemed like a permanent fixture to their group, he had a place in Seoul like all of them and never mentioned New York, and hung out with them as naturally as anyone else. Jongdae hadn’t realised he might just be a kind of distant friend, but he really hadn’t seemed like it.

“I’m not giving up New York for anyone,” Kris shrugged, “It’s where I belong now. If alone, then fine. I’m heading back as soon as I can book a ferry, too.”

“But we barely saw you! You can’t already head back,” Tao complained, before an idea struck him and he turned to Jongdae. “Let’s go too! JD, you want to see New York, right?” (If JD came, Minseok would come, and Tao was definitely going, Chanyeol wouldn’t be against it and Zifeng and Luhan could be peer pressured into it.)

“I’ve been to New York,” Jongdae said.

Tao blinked, before saying, “What about New York in the 1930’s?” And Jongdae’s face slowly lit up with all the possibilities.

“Yo, you guys should totally come, I know great hotels,” Kris said, and Jongdae’s mind was made up.

Tao’s hypothesis had been right. If JD wanted to go, Minseok would go, and if they Tao and Kris were going Chanyeol wanted to go, and if all of them were going Luhan and Zifeng were easily coerced.

“Passenger ships have improved,” Jongdae mentioned, “Do you guys remember the Heatherthrow? It was super uncomfortable.”

“Wow, that feels like a life time ago,” Minseok mused, “I guess it’s been eighty years, huh. Since Tao stole the machine and we had to chase him for like a month.”

“It’s been eighty years,” was all Tao had to say. Minseok, Luhan and Chanyeol geared up for an argument, so Jongdae slipped out on deck. He caught sight of Kris and walked over to him. He was staring intensely far out to sea, clearly deep in thought.

Jongdae felt bad about disturbing him, but said anyway, “This is a nice ship, isn’t it?”

Kris turned to look at him, and nodded, simply. “I’ve seen nicer, but it is.”

“I’ve never been on a cruise, except back in the 1800s I guess but I don’t really count that. It’s faster to travel by air now but ships are more fun, and your legs don’t get cramped.”

Kris said, “I don’t like travelling by sea much, but it’s the only way to get places.”

Jongdae nodded, “True, true. The early 20th century was when big ships really started being built didn’t they? Oh wow, has Titanic happened yet? If it hasn’t then pretend I didn’t say anything.”

The immortal had now tensed considerably. He said, “That was 1912.”

“Oh so it has happened,” Jongdae nodded, “Boats are much safer now though, aren’t they? What a shame though. I liked the movie they made in 1997 with Leonardo di Caprio, though.”

“I’ll check it out when I get there.”

“To 1997?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s watch it together, hyung,” Jongdae said, eager to befriend past-Kris like he had future-Kris in the same way he had befriended the past versions of all the other immortals he was friends with in the future.

Then Minseok came out looking for him, and he waved rapidly before running over to him, leaving Kris alone at the rails again to return to staring out at the horizon.

Minseok took JD’s hand as he reached him and squeezed it. Maybe he was being a bit clingy, but with such a short time to see each other he decided it was perfectly acceptable.

“What were you talking to Kris about?” he asked him.

“About boats and Leonardo di Caprio,” JD replied.

“Who’s Leonardo di Caprio?”

“An actor, he acted in the movie version of Titanic, it was amazing,” JD said, face lighting up, “Well I liked it, Baekhyun was crying a lot and missed most of the end and now he refuses to re-watch it with me.”

“I’ll watch it with you when it comes out,” Minseok said quickly. JD moved his hand to link it through Minseok’s arm, squeezing it happily.

“You’re the best hyung, honestly, what other kind of guy would watch Titanic with me, oh and also give me shelter each time I end up time travelling to see him.”

Minseok let out a little laugh, “You did insist we were friends.”

JD nodded seriously, “We were! Are! Are going to be? You act really strange around me in the future but I guess I know why now.”

It made sense to Minseok that he might act strangely around JD in the future. Presumably the first time he’ll see JD in 2016 will be the first time JD had ever met him, and he’ll have to be around JD for potentially months, in love with him and with all this shared history, while JD barely recognised him and called him a friend. “Do I avoid you?”

“Yeah, though at first you were super friendly with me so I thought you liked me, then you went all distant all of a sudden by everyone thought you still liked me?”

“Maybe I remembered you only considered me a friend at first and didn’t want to distort time,” Minseok offered as an explanation.

JD sighed, “Time travel is really annoying. I wish all this didn’t happen and then you could just flirt freely with me when we meet in the future. Then again...,” he tilted his head, “We only met through Zhang Company, which wouldn’t have existed if I hadn’t gone back...” He pulled an annoyed face, which was mostly cute to Minseok, “So confusing! Well it doesn’t matter anyway. It’s good that we met, right?”

“I guess so,” Minseok shrugged ironically, but earned a put-off swat from JD, and then a long whine until he took it back and said, “Obviously you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“That’s what I thought,” JD tossed his head dramatically, before pressing himself closer to Minseok’s side.

* * *

 

They met the rest of the squad in the bar for drinks, minus Kris who had gone off somewhere again. Chanyeol had sunburnt his shoulders that afternoon playing tennis and was still complaining about it, despite the fact Luhan told him to cover up twelve times that morning.

Jongdae swirled his drink around and stared into the glass, before turning his head to survey his surroundings. The bar was quite nicely sized, and mostly filled with men playing cards, and one group of old women sharing a cigar.

It was early evening, and they hadn’t even had dinner yet. Still, he yearned for something to do and reached into his pocket for the leaflet of weekly activities. “Do you guys know if there’s anything interesting going on tonight?” he asked as his eyes scanned the paper.

“Oh!” Tao exclaimed, as a memory hit him and made his face brighten with a smile, “There’s ballroom dancing for beginners! You should go to it, Luhan, I saw the flier earlier today.”

That confused Jongdae just for a moment before he remembered that Luhan had been a professional dancer in Vienna once. He had forgotten that, but it had been 1956 the last time it had been mentioned to him, coincidentally also on a boat that time. Luhan rolled his eyes in response to something he was often reminded of.

“You always make fun of me for it, but I was the best in all of Austria until I faked my death,” he said, “Ballroom dancing for beginners, what a joke. I’d out-dance the instructor.” Jongdae stared at him with bright eyes. Alarmed, Luhan said, “No! I will definitely not!”

“You have to now,” Minseok said simply, sipping his drink.

“Not everyone lives by JD’s random whims,” Luhan shot back.

“You just don’t want to dance because you’re worried your rusty and not even as good as the beginners anymore.”

The second oldest immortal’s head whipped around towards the oldest immortal, “Excuse me?! I am _not_ rusty!”

“Let’s go learn to ballroom dance then,” Tao said, “Let’s get Kris to come!”

“Kris won’t go and neither will I,” Luhan turned to look at none of them, and gulped his drink.

Kris, however, did want to go. “I like ballroom,” he said, “I felt like learning it a couple of years back, but then Charleston became the craze and I learned that instead.”

So Luhan did go. He was partnered with a rather lovely 60-something year old who gushed about his handsomeness and gripped his shoulders maybe a little tightly. She had danced in her younger years, and the second he got into position she told him his stance was incredible, making him smirk smugly.

It was only ten minutes later the instructor came over and asked him if he was a professional.

“I dabbled in it years ago,” he said truthfully.

The instructor eyed him carefully, then said, “Back in the early-ish 1800s a Chinese dancer really rocked the scene in Vienna. Did you ever hear about him?”

“I think I read about that somewhere,” Luhan said, trying to contain himself as he remembered reading his reviews obsessively in the news.

He went to bed very satisfied, and only a little wistful. As an immortal, times came and went, good times ended and bad times began then they ended back and everything became memories. When he was a celebrity back then he’d loved his life, the attention and the fame and most of all the dancing. he really hadn’t danced in years, and suddenly that one evening sent him back to his first trophy in his first competition.

He found himself wanting to go back, missing a time long past, but there were so many times like that. He remembered times when it was just him and Minseok, before time travel interfered and their lives became complicated. Most of all, and he barely allowed himself to think about this in fear of being consumed by pain, if he did dare think about the times when he was mortal, he wanted that. The mistake he made back then that earned him the punishment was the most painful to think about.

That was why Luhan liked to shut the past out, not talk about to even Minseok (who didn’t know why he had the punishment). He wouldn’t think about his far past or his more recent past, only the present. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t fall asleep with the satisfaction of still being a good dancer and being remembered.

Jongdae wasn’t as satisfied, as he had been made to dance with a girl. She was a very nice girl, but social norms of the time disallowed him to dance with who he wanted to, Minseok.

When the class was over, he grabbed his elbow. “I can’t believe we couldn’t dance together.”

“The waltz is literally designed for a man and women,” Minseok told him.

“We can try, though, right?” he asked, eyes bright, and Minseok couldn’t morally say no.

He still needed to be logistical, “Who’d lead?”

“Me, I’m taller.”

“You’re obviously my wife,” Minseok argued.

“But my shoulders are broader, so you’re the wife,” he reasoned.

“I’m older.”

“The husband isn’t always the older one in marriages.”

“Look,” Minseok finally sighed, “Let’s just try it and see how it goes.”

So Jongdae dragged him to a quiet corner of the deck, turned on his phone (he was willing to waste battery life for this) and chose a song. “This one’s good to dance to,” he declared, and made grabby hands, “Come here.” Minseok smiled and stepped forward, and not to any particular rhythm or real dance they just swayed under the stars, happy to be together.

“This is going to be such a fun vacation,” Jongdae said, “I’ve never been to New York even in the future. We have to go out and do lots of fun things. Yifan is lucky living there.”

“I find it a bit busy,” Minseok scrunched his nose, “I prefer kind of slower places and paces.”

“Hyung...,” Jongdae said slowly, “I’ve been meaning to ask. Is Yifan a part of the group, like hangs out with you a lot?”

“Kris is a bit mysterious. We barely see him to be honest, not like we keep in contact with each other. We like him a lot and he’s more than welcome to, but it seems like the resistance is on his side, like he doesn’t want to get tied down or something. But he seems to like hanging out with us, or he wouldn’t keep inviting us to come to New York and let us into clubs,” he replied. “But why do you ask, you know him in the future?”

In the future it had seemed like Kris was more of a permanent fixture, though. Jongdae guessed he would have to wait and see how the change came about, and why it hadn’t happened already if they’d known him for eleven years. But then again, there had been a lot of things he’d missed about the immortals, such as Minseok being in love with him.

Kris was a bit more reserved here in the past, when in the future he was very comfortable around the other immortals. Well, there was still 80 years for him to bond with them more, Jongdae realised.

80 years. That was older than his parents. The vast lifetimes of the group struck him once more, but he buried the feeling quickly as there wasn’t any point thinking about it. So, he stopped thinking about, and decided to only think about the present and the Minseok that was right there.

 

Zifeng had also ended up having a rather good evening. He was paired with a young American who was heading home from a holiday in the UK. She had bright red lipstick and a pin in her hair in the shape of a rose, and her laugh and smile were intoxicating.

“Say, how old are you?” she asked him, “You look young.”

“I’m older than I look,” said Zifeng, hating his perpetually youthful appearance again. “What about you?”

“You shouldn’t ask a lady that,” she said coyly, but then, “I’m twenty-one. I’m an actress.”

“You look it,” he said, “you’re beautiful.”

She threw her head back and laughed at the compliment. “You sound experienced in flirtation, I guess you can’t be a teenager. What do you do?”

“I’m trying to invent something,” he said.

“New York’s the place for inventions,” she said. “I’ll be heading to Los Angeles soon as I arrive, but let’s be pen-pals, kid. We’ll re-meet some time.”

Ecstatic, Zifeng agreed, but it was ten minutes later he remembered he was immortal and she was mortal, he would stay young and she would grow old. He could never have romance, or a family, like he wanted to.

Pen-pals was fine, but they could never re-meet beyond a few years, unless he revealed everything.

This was why it was called the punishment, it was so, so punishing.

* * *

 

The last day of the journey came to a close on a sunny day, with the coast of America just about becoming visible on the horizon, land after a couple of weeks of only sea.

“Almost home,” Kris breathed, staring over the railing, “My usual guy is coming to collect us. I’ll recommend some hotels once we’re there.”

“I’m staying with you, right?” Tao interjected quickly, “You have a spare bedroom, I called it already.”

“Yeah, yeah, Tao, you’re with me,” Kris said, as the physically younger but technically older immortal beamed at him.

“This has been such a fun cruise,” JD was saying, his usual enthusiastic face fixed in place, “Let’s do it again in 2016 when we re-meet. Like a reunion holiday! The facilities will be better too!” The mortal had been having the time of his life, dragging them around to do various fun things with him all the journey. “I’m kind of sad it’s coming to an, we should do something to commemorate. Let’s take a photo!”

“There’s a photographer on the lower deck,” Luhan said, but JD shook his head.

“No, I’d have to pay, let’s just use the timer function on my phone.” His future-terms puzzled them as usual, but he propped up his camera on a life ring and then ran back to them. “Everyone pose!” The camera made no noise or click, but JD seemed to know that the picture had been taken and he ran back to check it out.

“It’s cute, guys,” he showed it to them, “You guys look great!” Startling Kris was the fact that it was in colour, and also high definition, but the others had seen his little rectangle a few times and were more used to its strange properties.

“This means only you have a copy though,” Zifeng pointed out, “Let’s get one from the photographer too so we get it too.”

They ended up getting three copies, as only Zifeng, Kris and Minseok were willing to pay for it turned out. Zifeng looked down at it, very happy with it. “I’ll get it framed so it lasts a long time,” he said, “Let’s go shopping once we land.”

Therefore, the first thing they did upon reaching the port was send off their bags with Kris’s guy and then go searching for a frame shop in the busy, loud streets of New York. It was amazing to JD, who said it looked just like the vintage photos, and movies, so cool and old fashioned, whereas to the immortals it was the height of modern. They found a general trinket store on the street, and Zifeng zipped inside.

They split up in there, each having their own interest (Chanyeol liked small animal shaped pin cushions, and Luhan wanted a thimble of all things), but JD decided to help Zifeng in his quest for a photo frame.

“Thanks, hyung,” he said gratefully, and noticed the strange twinge in JD’s face that happened whenever he called him hyung. It was a bit of a force of habit, he still felt seventeen somehow, as that was his physical age, but he was old enough to be JD’s father by now. It still felt right to call JD hyung though, though JD had called him uncle once, when they first met.

They got to work in a corner of the store, and JD was rifling through a stack of them when he froze, because there was a certain engraved bronze when that made bells of recognition start clanging in head, as he’d seen it before.

“Zifeng,” he called, “This one?” His voice was uncertain, almost worried sounding. But Zifeng liked it a lot, it was just his style.

“I like it,” he said, “It fits the photograph well too!” But JD still looked oddly pale for some reason.

“You’re really going to get this one and put that photo in it?”

“Yes, is there any reason I shouldn’t?”

JD swallowed. “It’s just that... I realised something.” He frowned, “So many things have started fitting into my place that made my life confusing at the time. I never realised any of this happened, but it must have, all of you knew my fate and changed it and now things make sense.”

“What are you saying?” Zifeng asked.

“This photo is on your desk. I recognise the engraving, and the shape. I see it on your desk every time I go into your office, but it’s always face down. Whenever I ask about it you tell me you can’t tell me yet.”

* * *

_“What are you working on, uncle,” Jongdae asked eagerly. Whenever he saw him he was hard at work on blueprints or tinkering with something. Very rarely did Jongdae get a straight answer._

_“Just… the usual,” Zifeng said, thoughtfulness crossing his features._

_Yixing started agitating, “Can’t we tell him, father? He’s basically part of the family!”_

_“I have reasons, Yixing, and they’re complicated reasons.” His gaze flicked to one of his photos, which Jongdae was pretty sure he had heard him turn downward facing as they came in to hide it. Then he gazed at Jongdae. “Though it would be better for you to know, it’s less than ten years from finally being finished, now.”_

* * *

“And I always hear a little thump before I come in, like you suddenly turned the photo upside down before I came in to hide it.” JD sighed, “It must have been because I was in it and you couldn’t let me know we knew each other yet.”

Zifeng didn’t say anything, but a buzz of thoughts was circulating in his head.

One was the fact that he had an office that JD came into often. Why did JD come into his office all the time? It felt like it somehow connected to the slip of the tongue of JD’s back when they first met, when JD called him “uncle.”

It might make sense that JD call him uncle, as he was old enough to be so, but here in the past where he was also old enough JD didn’t call him uncle, apart from that first time. And if he called him that the first, time why did he stop.

He didn’t call the rest of the immortal’s uncle either. He spoke to them quite casually.

Clearly, his relationship with Zifeng was different. Should he ask why? No, JD wasn’t allowed to tell him. He just let himself maybe dare hope, that maybe in the future he looked like an uncle, and that was why. And if he was uncle maybe he was married too. Maybe.

“I guess if you know I bought it,” Zifeng said carefully, “I ought to, or the universe might break or something.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” JD nodded. “Keep it on your desk too, and don’t let me see it when I meet you for the first time.”

So Zifeng bought it, and put the photograph into it, and Chanyeol bought his pin cushion and Luhan found a thimble. It was already late afternoon when they stepped back out onto the street. They ended up eating a meal at a swanky place (at a discount because Kris knew the owners here too) while JD tried to sneak pictures of things without anyone seeing his device.

Leaving the restaurant, a billboard caught JD’s eye. “Look, look!” he pointed at it, “My eomma loves that movie.” It was Romeo and Juliet, that had been released lately. “Leonardo di Caprio played Romeo when he was younger too. Let’s go watch it!”

“I saw it,” Kris said, “It’s depressing anyway, see something else.”

“I’ll come watch it with you,” was what Minseok said.

The other immortals declined too, Tao thought the story was too sad, Luhan wasn’t interested, Zifeng wanted to sightsee and Chanyeol might have been willing to but he didn’t want to be stuck with the couple in a movie theatre watching a romance film.

Kris told them the name of the hotel to stay at which his friend owned, and then left with the others as a near vibrating JD pulled Minseok into the movie theatre. “This feels so vintage, hyung,” he said. Minseok wasn’t sure what vintage meant but nodded and smiled anyway, and reached to hold JD’s hand when they had sat down and didn’t let go for the whole of the movie.

* * *

 

“That was so sad,” JD said, as he wiped away tears. “I liked it though, but I think Leonardo was better than that guy. I’m not sure if I prefer him in this or in Titanic, but he’s such a great actor”

“When Leonardo di Caprio gets born I’m going to have high expectations,” Minseok said. “Also a movie of Titanic? Isn’t that morbid?”

“You liked him in the Great Gatsby,” JD remembered. He hadn’t known Minseok when it came out, but his hyung had mentioned it to him once.

“I love that book,” Minseok said, looking pleased suddenly, “They made a movie in the future? I’ll look forward to it, maybe I will like your Leonardo. I saw the stage adaptation and the silent film of it, I’m glad they made a sound version.”

JD laughed at that, and Minseok was reminded not for the first time how beautiful he was, even in the yellow lamplight of this empty dark street, and he was reminded how worth it each twenty-year gap was to have him again at the end of it.

A cool breeze swept over them then, a reminder that the warm summer’s day was over, and night had begun.

JD wrapped his arms around himself, “Where are we staying, hyung?”

“Kris recommended a hotel,” Minseok said, “Ran by his friend, I can’t remember her name exactly except it began with a V. It’s in the area.” JD nodded but shivered again, and Minseok didn’t have to think much before stepping over and wrapping his arms around him. JD beamed immediately and tucked his face into Minseok’s shoulder.

“You’re so warm, Minseokkie-hyung,” he said, his voice muffled, “And the perfect size, even if you’re shorter than me.”

“By 1cm,” Minseok reminded him, but any thoughts of annoyance flew out the window as JD nuzzled against him, and he felt himself floating into bliss.

Then, “Haha, hyung, your heart is racing. Is it me?”

“Shut up,” and he pulled away. JD laughed loudly at that, and skipped after him when Minseok started walking away, reaching for his hand and swinging it between them.

“Is the hotel close?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Let’s ask for a double bed,” and Minseok started walking considerably faster.

The hotel was a well-lit building on a dimly lit street. It had a gloomy looking architecture, with grey stone and arched windows. Something about it felt vaguely sinister quite gothic and definitely something that a friend of Kris might own. Inside the carpet was a plush purple, and along one wall were paintings of the same woman but from various points in time, one looking like the Victorian era, another could have been done only a few months ago.

A gramophone was playing some gentle saxophone, and they could hear murmuring from a room along a corridor. Minseok craned his neck to see inside, and saw it was a candlelit dining room.

“How does Kris know the owner of this place,” JD muttered, looking around.

Minseok shrugged and reached to press the service bell, but almost as though she sensed it a woman glided into the room and smiled at them with a tight, pleasant smile, that seemed only a little fake.

“Good evening, gentlemen,” her accent was British, and as she approached it became very evident she was the woman in all the pictures along the wall. Her dress was a lowcut V neck, and just where it was on everyone else, the infinity symbol was written under her collar bone. She stepped behind the counter and smiled at them, and they noticed her teeth looked rather sharp. “Are you looking for a room?” Her eyes were a dark, deep brown, that gazed over them intensely. Upon seeing JD, her face adjusted subtly but snappishly as her eyes settled on him. Her smile grew just tinily, but Minseok noticed, and wasn’t particularly pleased about it.

JD, on the other hand, didn’t notice the particular attention he was being paid and said, “Yes please, but we’re not sure for how many nights.”

“I’ll take payment per night,” she said, still looking at him. Her expression changed to one that just seemed amused as her smile grew, but motivation remained in her eyes. “My name’s Valencia, by the way, I’m absolutely charmed to meet you, and delighted you chose my fair place to stay.”

She rested her chin in her hand and offered the other one to shake JD’s hand. He smiled friendlily at her and shook it. As he pulled away, Minseok noticed her grip remained tighter for a second, holding on. His own fist clenched, and he stepped closer to JD, trying to assert some kind of possession but she barely noticed.

He remained unaware and polite and said, “Are you English? I love your accent.” Minseok tensed up, but her eyes lit up.

“I am! I’m from London. That’s so lovely of you to say.”

Then she said, “You’re very handsome, aren’t you,” her eyes looking him up and down, and then fluttering her long eyelashes, making Minseok’s eyes narrow and his jaw clench, “About how long are you staying?”

Now a little perplexed, JD said, “Less than a week probably? And,” he paused and blinked, “You’re very nice looking too?”

Her lips pursed a little as her mouth uplifted into another smirk.

Super mad, was the only thing Minseok could be described at. His JD, who he had waited for for twenty-years, was now just being shamelessly flirted at? By some random lady? When JD was his? He was not going to stand for this! (And she was just ignoring him too, which was super rude).

As he was thinking that last thing, she finally looked at him, and her eyebrows raised too. “Oh, you’re cute as well.” Actually he liked being ignored more, but he was still mad at the audacity of her actions.

“The room?” he asked.

“Oh, right,” she stood up, finally, no longer leant over the counter and pulled out a clipboard. “What kind of room?”

“A double bed please.”

Her hand went still as she looked up and then between them, at JD’s polite smile and Minseok’s silent fury and then her shoulders slumped. “Ooh, I see.” She pouted a little. “A double bed. Sign here.”

Feeling a little satisfied, but still annoyed, Minseok signed (JD didn’t technically have a bank account yet). She took it back, and then her eyes widened at the signature.

“Oh. Oh! You’re Kim Minseok and JD,” she said in realisation, “Oh wow, Kris told me you might be coming! And look at me flirting,” she was laughing.

“Flirting?” JD muttered, confused.

She continued, “Oh my, I’m so sorry. You should have said when you came in, I kept the nice room for you in case you came.” The keys for rooms were hanging behind her, but she reached under the desk and pulled out a different room key. “Here you are, fifth floor. Kris sent me your luggage. Honestly, I’m so embarrassed. Not very sorry, actually, but can you blame me?” she gestured to JD and winked at Minseok and oh, Minseok was mad again, but then he was being pushed towards the elevator and she was a memory before he knew it.

They were quiet for a moment, before JD said, “Do you know who she reminds me of?”

“Who?”

“A vampire,” he finished. “She could totally have been a vampire.”

Minseok considered this for a second before he began laughing, and then JD was sniggering too and they lost it together in the little lift.

“Well,” Minseok said, “She sure wanted a bite out of you.”

“What?”

“Holy shit, she was staring at you like you were her next meal.”

“No she wasn’t, she just called me handsome, that’s an objective truth,” JD swatted him lightly.

“Noooo, she was about to literally pounce, I was so mad.”

“Mad?” JD started to smirk.

“Um,” Minseok raised his eyebrows, “You try waiting twenty years to see someone and then some other girl comes after your man.”

Peals of laughter left JD’s mouth, but Minseok continued indignantly, though he was failing to suppress his smile, too, “I put time and effort into this and was loyal and good for twenty whole years then she thinks she can just take a slice of my cake?”

JD was doubled over now, clutching his stomach and at Minseok, “Hyung! H-hyung shush!”

The elevator reached the fifth floor and they came into the view of a very judgy old lady who was frowning at them as though they were lunatics. Minseok took JD’s arm and pulled his malfunctioning boyfriend out of the lift and down to their room.

* * *

The next morning Jongdae untangled himself and wondered over to the window, looking out across the city. It was amazing, not just the fact that he was in a city like this, but in the 1930s where business men wondered around in fedoras and women had their hair all gelled and curly and stylish. The skyline was already so high, and it was one of the rare moments he felt lucky to have experienced all this.

“Do you like it?” Minseok asked, and Jongdae nodded. He felt a little sad suddenly, like he wanted to stay, but he knew he couldn’t.

“I’m hungry,” he said. They got dressed and went downstairs. Valencia was nowhere to be seen, to Minseok’s contentment. “She can’t go out in sunlight,” Jongdae reasoned.

They saw Luhan, Kris, Chanyeol, Tao and Zifeng sitting at a table already eating when Chanyeol called over to them.

“How was the movie?” Luhan asked from behind his newspaper.

“Sad,” said Jongdae, “I liked it though.”

“Romeo and Juliet always makes me cry,” Tao said.

“You cry at anything,” Chanyeol said.

“Shush,” Tao pushed him lightly.

“It got okay reviews,” Luhan passed the newspaper to Jongdae so he could read through it, “The critics just didn’t feel very wowed by it, it looks like.

Jongdae took it to read through but going back to read the front page something made his insides feel very cold. The date was September 1st 1936, he’d been in the past for far too long. It was June 1st he’d been sent back, which meant he’d been in the past for three months, which meant he’d been missing in the future for three months.

Minseok noticed the horror crossing his features. “Are the reviews that bad?”

Forgetting his hunger and everything else, Jongdae put the newspaper down, stood up and hurried out of the dining room. His head was spinning as he thought about everything he was missing.

His mother must be worried, his brother and dad too, all his friends, he was missing work, he cousin Jinhee must have given birth by now too, he said he’d go to the Christening but he must be too late for that too, and poor Baekhyun was paying their rent all alone too, wasn’t he? He would definitely be fired oh God, he loved his job, and what about his goldfish?

“JD!” Minseok caught up with his, breathing heavily. “What’s happened?”

“I’m,” he couldn’t think of the words, “I’m missing!”

“What?”

“I’ve been gone too long,” he panicked, “It’s been three months, my family might be missing me, I might lose my job, oh God.”

Minseok looked at him, slowly, sadly.

“I’m really sorry,” Jongdae said, realising, “It’s hard on you. I should stay longer but I can’t. I can’t miss my brother’s wedding or anything else. Baekhyun needs me too.”

The immortal was still quiet, and guilt flooded Jongdae along with everything else. Then he said, “When we meet in 2016, none of this will matter. I can bear it, I hate you being upset more than I hate missing you. Get going.”

Jongdae flung his arms around him then shot upstairs to grab the machine from the cupboard. It had charged from a day in the sun when on the boat. Minseok went back to the breakfast room to tell everyone JD was leaving, his heart sinking back into its heavy state, particularly so after the weeks of feeling lighter again.

“You’re leaving already?” Kris asked, surprised and disappointed. He liked the time traveller and had wanted to show him all around the city, as well as try and sneak some information about the future out of him.

“He stayed longer than he usually does,” Chanyeol said, also feeling down about his friend leaving again. “Last time he stayed ages too because I was ill.”

“I stayed long the two times before that as well, because I went travelling with Minseok,” Jongdae added, “Before that I tried to only stay days at a time, but I also ended up staying a long time in 1956 because Tao stole the machine.”

“Sorry again,” Tao muttered.

“You’ll be missing in the future,” Luhan said seriously, “It’s a good idea to try speeding up and getting back.”

Each of them got a goodbye hug, including Kris, and Minseok a particularly long one. “Don’t just wait,” he whispered, “Try and forget me until I come back.”

“We both know it won’t happen,” Minseok said, gripping him before they both had to let go.

He stood back, picked up his machine (Minseok hated this sight, JD back in the ripped jeans and the yellow jumper and holding the machine), pressed the button, one last goodbye and he was gone again. They stood in quiet for a moment, each in their own thoughts.

Kris spoke, “So, he’s just leaving?”

“Yeah,” Minseok replied.

“He stayed like three weeks and now you won’t see him for twenty years?”

“Basically.”

“Dude that’s so harsh

“Yeah.”

“That’s really sad man.”

“It is.”

“It’s making me sad now wow.”

“It’s ok

“Like woah it’s terrible.”

“Kris, stop.”

“I might cry oh my god”

“Just stop.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hate this chapter I don't know why I just feel like nothing really happened, I was mostly setting up for later chapters in it  
> It's quite a long one too I don't know how it ended up this long, but anyway thank you for all the comments they really make me happy! My exams finished too and I wrote most of this just this morning. Also shout out to Toshi for inspiring huge chunks of this chapter what a muse


	8. 1956

**2016**

_“So where are you from?” Jongdae asked, trying to get some conversation out of Minseok, who was acting so closed off. The question seemed to light a flame in his eyes as he looked up._

_“I’m from Guri, Gyeonggi province,” he said, staring at Jongdae as though the words held a deep meaning._

_“I’m from Gyeonggi province too,” Jongdae said immediately, happy they had something in common, “Siheung!”_

_“Siheung,” Minseok nodded, noting the information like it was very important. “Siheung.”_

_Jongdae stared at the immortal a moment more, struggling for words to say to keep the conversation going while Chanyeol and Baekhyun yelled Girls Generation songs in the background._

_His eyes searched the immortal for something to mention, and finally his eyes landed on his hand. He said quickly, “I like your ring!”_

_Minseok looked up and met his eyes for the first time. “My ring?” He glanced down at it, as though he had forgotten it was there, as though it were a part of him and not an accessory._

_“It’s um, shiny,” Jongdae blurted out, and immediately felt like hitting himself._

_“It’s one of a pair,” Minseok said quietly. “The other one’s nicer. This one’s old now, the other is practically new.”_

_The words were confusing to Jongdae but meant a lot to Minseok, clearly. If the rings came in a pair then they should surely have been the same age._

**1956**

August 31st was an ordinary day for 99.999% of the population. Maybe for some it was their birthday, or anniversary, but for a very select group of immortals August 31st 1956 was holding a lot of meaning, because it meant one last day until a time traveller jumped back into their lives for another couple of days. For one immortal, which was Minseok, each year when August 31st passed he thought to himself, 18 years and one day, 17 years and one day, 16 years and one day. In those times, they slipped past fairly quickly as days do. In this year, it dragged as slowly as if time was trying to move through molasses.

Counting down days was a boring hobby but he did it each day without fail. It was only hours now, until September first, the day that they had seen JD last.

Kris had reappeared for the affair. Over the last twenty years he had gradually made more appearance in their lives, as though he might be giving in and joining them more often. He’d tired a bit of New York (especially during the second world war) and was more willing to follow the group around the world when they decided to go. Even the five of them weren’t living together the whole of the time, they had separate lives and houses too, but kept in close contact and more often than not liked to stay and travel together, like a makeshift family, a replacement for one they had all lost.

It was only Kris who wouldn’t commit fully, when it seemed he was getting closer he would retract again all of a sudden until Tao coaxed him out again with incessant letters.

Technology still wasn’t being kind to Zifeng, who was no closer to discovering the truth about the machine. He’d sometimes utter the words “solar panel” to any scientist and see how’d they react, but they were always baffled.

It was in 1954 when he was reading a science journal over breakfast that he’d yelled loudly, “LOOK! LOOK!” and shoved the article in everyone’s face. Bell Labs had announced the invention of the first practical solar cell, and the New York Times predicted that soon they would lead to being able to harness the limitless energy of the sun.

“We must be getting closer,” he’d said, flopping back on his chair before scurrying out of the room to his office, which had the plans on his desk, along with the framed photo they’d taken on that ship that JD had told him to remember. Minseok smiled at the article like it was an old friend, then took out his calendar and checked off another day as usual.

In his office, Zifeng started sifting through draws to find the exact page demonstrating the solar panels, which he knew folded out to use the energy of the sun to power the machine. As he tossed around paper, an envelope slipped off the desk and fluttered to the floor.

He scraped back his chair and bent to pick it up, recognising the handwriting immediately as his heart twinged. Back in 1936 when he’d met that woman, Alice, on the boat and she’d suggested they be pen pals they stuck to it. They’d ended up close, dangerously close considering Zifeng’s condition but he so craved the idea of being normal and having a normal relationship he couldn’t bring himself to end it.

As the weeks turned to years and she visited, she finally spoke up, “How come you look the same as you did when we first met?”

And he couldn’t think of anything to tell her other than truth. She was shocked, naturally, and in disbelief and all the other things you become when you learn a close friend is in fact an immortal, and also that immortals exist in the world.

He said, “You can stop talking to me forever, if you want.”

But she didn’t, strangely. They remained friends. Startlingly soon after his revelation she suddenly wrote to say that she was engaged. He knew she had had many suitors all her life, and he couldn’t help the nagging feeling she’d been hanging on as though waiting for him, and now knowing he wasn’t an option had finally accepted someone else. He banished that negative thought.

She was 41 now and they’d lost contact a while ago, somewhere about her first child’s 5th birthday. He tossed the old letter into the paper bin, then fished it out and shut it in a drawer and returned to the plans. Wishing for a human life and love was useless, those were privileges for someone who had not deserved the Punishment.

Today in 1956 thoughts of her were clouded by the excitement of seeing JD again, which was of course nothing to Minseok’s feelings.

He felt every tick of the clock deep in his bones as he obsessively checked it every two minutes to see if it were any closer to the time he wanted it to be. It was evening and they were all gathered in Kris’s place. He’d accumulated more wealth, and as opposed to 20 years ago when his place was a two-bedroom, now all six of them had fit into it.

Luhan eventually said, “Go to sleep, Minseok, it’ll make time go faster.”

“It’s so cute you think I’ll be able to fall asleep,” he said.

“Explain it to me one last time,” Kris said, “So he’ll only think it’s a few seconds, even thoughts it’s twenty years for us.”

“Basically,” Tao nodded, from where he was squeezed between Kris and Chanyeol on the couch (there wasn’t technically room between the two tall immortals for him but he’d sat there anyway).

 “I’m starting to get mad at him,” Chanyeol said, “If there’s a third world war I’ll get seriously mad, I swear.”

The second world war had come and gone, longer and bloodier than the first, and JD had said as much about that one as he had the first one. Which was nothing, not a single word of warning.

“Like he said the first time, if he can’t even tell us his name how can he tells us about events like that,” Luhan said.

“Eleven hours to go, guys,” Minseok said.

“Go to bed,” Luhan said.

“No,” Minseok said.

Kris sighed deeply and leant back to stare at the ceiling. “I still find it so sad. I thought it was bad enough when you had to wait eleven years back in 1925, but this time it was the full twenty... Heavy, bro. You’ve done this how many times?”

“Every twenty years since 1816,” Minseok told him, looking almost proud of his achievement. “Though it only really started feeling heavy after about 1856 when we were closer.”

“1856 was a hundred years ago,” Kris said.

The immortals all paused then, pensive suddenly. Tao’s face clouded over just slightly. “A hundred years since I met you guys, then. I didn’t realise it was that long already.”

Sometimes the immensity of their lifespan, and the years they lived through really hit them. Most days they felt maybe like civilians, living through their lives unassumingly, fitting in. And then one day their age might hit them, and their memories felt heavy in their brain as it was impossible to try and replay it all.

“I’m going to bed,” said Minseok, standing up finally and stretching out his arms. “See you in the morning,” he was smiling though, unlike the rest of them now.

The next day was September 1st 1956, twenty years exactly had passed. JD had left them at about quarter past ten in the morning. He wouldn’t be staying long this time, Minseok knew. As he’d said last time, he had a life waiting for him in 2016 that he needed to be back for. It was fine though, when 2016 finally came in sixty years’ time (which really felt like nothing compared to the two hundred years they’d faced when they’d first met) he’d be there every day.

Morning came. It was 8am, which meant three hours to go.

They had breakfast and coffee and then it was two and a half hours to go.

Minseok got dressed and there was two hours and ten minutes to go.

He said, “Shall we go?” and Chanyeol said, “And stand around for two hours?”

Tao was still in bed. When he was finally dragged out there was one hour to go.

They left the house with 45 minutes to go and travelled to the place they had seen JD last, the garden of Valencia’s hotel.

She waggled her fingers at Minseok as he walked through reception. He ignored her and noted the new addition to her wall of paintings of herself, which was another painting of herself.

They stood in the garden and waited.

Somehow it always felt like maybe a bit of an anti-climax when JD arrived, because he would smile casually at them (because only seconds had passed) but pleased, and then he slotted back into their lives like he’d never left.

That didn’t stop the rush of joy that flushed through Minseok as there was a flash of white light and he stood there again, still smiling goodbye before subtly switching his face to the smile hello.

It was always surreal to be waiting for him for so long, only for it to seem so natural to see him again. JD put the machine on the floor and opened his arms for a hug. It maybe hurt a little to see that he was never as excited to see Minseok as Minseok was to see him, but he had to remember that JD had just been with him. There hadn’t been time to miss him.

After everyone had said hello, Chanyeol sad, “Okay, but JD, seriously this time,” he put his hands onto JD’s shoulders and looked at him seriously, “Are there anymore world wars because it’s getting annoying now.”

“Aiiish, Chanyeollie,” JD shook himself free, “I seriously can’t tell you.” Then he considered it a moment more, and caved, “But no. No more _world_ wars, at least.”

Chanyeol didn’t seem particularly content with that answer either but gave up and patted his head. “I’ll take it.”

JD looked around at all his friends smiling. “What’s changed since I’ve been gone. Oh- Kris-hyung is here again!”

Kris tried to not look so happy about being JD been pleased to see him, “Yeah, I’m here again. You’re a unique event, I can’t miss it.”

“So you’re friends with everyone now?” JD said hopefully.

“I was always friends with everyone,” Kris replied, but understood what he meant. He still wasn’t latched onto their group as tightly as the five of them were.

JD deflated a little, “I meant... Never mind,” he regained his positive stance, “It’s so cool how you all stay together like this. I can’t imagine having friends lasting hundreds of years.

“That’s because you’re only twenty-four,” Minseok said, draping his arm around JD’s shoulders.

JD smiled at the contact and said, “Technically I’m twenty-three, I’m turning twenty-four in about three weeks, 21st of September! Anyway, the point still stands that it’s amazing you kept liking each other for so long.”

Laughing, Minseok said light-heartedly “Imagine keeping liking someone for twenty years without seeing them.” Everyone laughed but JD, instead a shadow passed over his face and he pouted guiltily. Chanyeol changed the topic before anyone noticed, teasing Kris about how he could never keep liking the same person for very long, but Kris didn’t react as he alone had noticed JD’s face, and was curious about it. 

When Chanyeol nudged him playfully Kris finally responded, “Well maybe it’s their fault for not being pretty enough to keep my attention,” and gave a fake chuckle which they bought.

“JD, you haven’t seen Kris’s new apartment! It’s a penthouse, we can all fit in it this time,” Tao told him.

Laughing, JD replied, “That’s good. The hotels he recommended have scary owners.”

“Valencia’s just honest,” Kris defended, but Minseok’s felt smugly pleased they weren’t going anywhere near her again. Her and the paintings of herself she kept along the wall. He wondered if there was a back exit out of the garden so they wouldn’t have to face her again, but Luhan had already gone back inside to call for a taxi.

Luckily, they passed through reception with no incidents and piled into a taxi to head to Kris’s place. That fuzzy feeling he got inside when JD was near him (in this instance pressed against him squashed with the others) was back, and he remembered to make the most of it. Especially when JD’s hand found his and squeezed it. An idea started forming in his head during that car ride, one he needed to remember to carry out before he left.

* * *

 

Jongdae felt bad.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t grateful for the care that the immortals gave him when otherwise he would be lost in time, or that he wasn’t happy to be with his adored Minseok again, but not for the first time a nagging feeling of guilt was overcoming him.

He’d felt it when he’d first arrived and Minseok had said that comment about having to wait twenty years. He wasn’t sure how he would be able to cope not seeing him for that long. There was also the fact that he never missed Minseok because he didn’t need to because he was always there, waiting. To Jongdae it was just like hanging out for a couple of months with this group of guys, but for them it was multiple hang outs over decades of time. He was starting to think about those old times, when Minseok had even gotten mad at him for taking it for granted, but what could he do?

He was also starting to face the problem that objectively Minseok was out of his league. Like, he knew he was rich, and he was also the coolest and nicest hyung he’d met. Jongdae found himself annoying sometimes, and he was definitely told it a lot by his friends (especially Junmyeon) and he was starting to wonder if and when Minseok would find him annoying.

Twenty years was a long time to wait, and maybe Minseok’s distance from him in the future was because he’d gotten over him in the time in between.

His theorising wasn’t helped by the fact that when they arrived at Kris’s apartment building Minseok suddenly said he had somewhere to be, kissed him hurriedly goodbye and left.

It confused the rest of the immortals too. “Um, what?” was what Chanyeol said.

“I thought he looked forward to this all decade,” Kris added.

“You know what he’s like. He’s got some idea in his head and now he’s run off to do it,” Luhan sighed, “He’ll be back soon. JD, let’s drop off your machine then go out for lunch, okay? Don’t think about it.”

But he did think about it.

He left the machine on Kris’s balcony where it was in the sun and also safe from any kind of thief that might come after it. (They were always very secure about it now).

Later, he heard the door clicking as Minseok came back and ran to the door to meet him.

“Hyung!” he called happily, heart glowing as Minseok beamed at him just as pleased. “Where’d you go? That was rude,” he told him, not mad but still feeling a bit uncertain.

“It’s a secret,” Minseok told him, “I’ll tell you later. Where’s Kris’s kitchen, I’m hungry.” That didn’t really help Jongdae’s feelings, but he pushed away the feelings and followed Minseok into the kitchen to get snacks.

They all ended up hanging out at the penthouse for the rest of the day, Chanyeol trying to teach them to play poker and then other games because Tao wore his heart on his sleeve and was useless at it. The apartment block was pretty swanky, because at one point Kris left the room for two minutes, and then ten minutes later a butler was at the door serving them coffee.

Jongdae felt as impressed as ever by the group of immortals. To him it could have been he’d been hanging out with them continuously the past few weeks, they were so unchanging sometimes it felt strange to him the truth that twenty years passed each jump and here they still were. Chanyeol, Tao and Zifeng had been the ones that had changed, they’d matured and started to wear the same wise, aged expressions that Luhan and Minseok did and always did. That was sad, the thought, as Tao had been twenty-two when they’d first met, but here he was, a hundred and twenty-two, older than Minseok had been when Jongdae had first met Minseok.

It was only Yifan that was still confusing him, or Kris has he predominantly went by in the past. Even twenty years later he still hadn’t gelled to them and was still putting up resistance although Jongdae knew he was as close to the others as any of them in 2016, to the extent that Jongdae hadn’t realised Luhan, Minseok, Chanyeol, Tao and Zifeng had known him for such a short time compared to knowing each other.

He pulled on Luhan’s sleeve, who was closest to him that moment, and asked, “Why is Kris so distant to you all?”

“You’ve noticed,” Luhan looked surprised. “When he’s actually with us it’s like he is part of the family, it’s weird you know he doesn’t stick to us as closely.”

“In the future does.”

“You mean he remains around us full-time? That’s interesting. We’ve been trying to get him to for years but he always separates himself if he thinks he’s getting too close. He knows he’s welcome and we know he wants to be here, but something stops him. That barrier must be gone in the future then?”

“I guess so,” he agreed, “To me I never even realised there had been any resistance in the past.”

“I guess he’ll share with us when he’s ready,” Luhan said. A gentle smile appeared on his face, “I’m glad he’ll eventually get over it though. He seems lonely, even when he’s in New York surrounded by all those friends.”

They both looked over to the mentioned immortal, who was stood leant against a wall staring into space. Even now, with them, he seemed distant. He always wore a kind of guarded expression that only melted away when he was laughing with them or joking with Tao. When the expression faded his cool-guy persona melted too and they liked the guy behind it a lot.

As though he’d sensed that he was being watched his gaze snapped up and landed on the two watching him. Jongdae waved, he waved back.

Jongdae looked down at his coffee cup and saw that it was empty apart from one last mouthful, which he quickly swallowed before heading to the kitchen to put it in the sink. He felt like he really was getting to know his immortal friends better, even if the only way was to go literally back in time. he did get the feeling they never shared much with him because they knew he’d go back in time though, so their closedness was understandable now.

“JD?” came Kris’s voice suddenly making him jump a bit.

“Yeah?” he replied, wondering why he’d been followed into the kitchen.

“I wanted to talk to you,” Kris said, but his voice faltered a little as though he himself was uncertain of what he was going to say.

A bit worried, Jongdae gestured, “Go ahead.”

“The only thing was... you looked a bit down earlier? When you first arrived?”

“Did I?” Jongdae replied blankly, not really feeling like sharing his sort of rude feelings, that he thought Minseok might be better off without him.

“Listen, I know we don't know each other that well for me to like be checking up on you, but I was just thinking about how this whole thing was on you. For Minseok it's missing you and waiting, and it seems like it's easier for you but really I guess it's weird for you too jumping around and missing so much.”

“I... Well, yeah it is,” Jongdae felt touched, weirdly, that Kris had been so perceptive. It was true, he sometimes felt odd and out of place jumping around and missing everything.

“Is that why earlier you looked like that, when Minseok mentioned that you were gone twenty years.”

“I didn't realise I looked like anything,” he said, feeling defensive. It wasn’t his place to feel bad when it was Minseok that was going through the real hardship.

“I guess this is weird, you don't have to answer I know I'm just being nosy. Are you okay though?” Kris’s face was open and honest, and suddenly Jongdae felt like opening out everything.

“It is a bit weird. I just feel kind of bad. Like, for me I just come and go and for him it's so hard and I know he says he's fine but I still feel like I'm a bad person but there's nothing I can do. A few years ago, well 80 years ago, he got really hurt by me and I still feel bad about it,” he found himself rambling, and caught himself, surprised.

In the lull, Kris said nodded, “Oh I see.”

This encouraged him to continue, and he said, “And... And the only real way I can think of making it better would be to stop seeing him.” Kris’s mouth dropped open in shock but Jongdae quickly cut across him, “Just- just until 2016, I thought maybe if he forgets me for a few years and stops waiting then it'll be less hard on him. Even if it makes him stop liking me entirely then it's fine as long as he's not hurt,” he finished. He just felt so bad all of a sudden. He’d left early last time too. Minseok kept saying he was fine with it but Jongdae just didn’t feel fine about it.

Kris hummed, thinking deeply, then took a deep breath and said, “Okay. So, as I said, we don't know each other that well, so I hope you understand when I say that objectively that's not a good idea.”

“Hyung-,”

“I'm speaking from experience okay, what are you really doing this for? For him or for you?” he asked seriously.

Jongdae almost didn’t answer in his surprise, but then realised what Kris was saying, and thought about it. It was him that felt bad, not Minseok, Minseok insisted he felt fine, and indeed acted and seemed fine, and even Luhan wasn’t worried anymore. “Because I feel bad...”

“Exactly. But you shouldn't just think about yourself or he'll really get hurt and then you'll just feel bad forever, okay?”

Kris' words hung in the air for a moment as he looked at Jongdae with eyes brimmed with emotion that Jongdae didn't quite understand

“Hyung, why are you so passionate?”

That made Kris' expression change, and his mouth gaped open for a second as he sought for words. None came.

“Hyung, come on,” Jongdae said, trying to ease the truth out of him at last, “if we're spilling everything out in the open you can talk to me too.” Still nothing. “Could it be- anything to do with why you won't let yourself be friends with the others?” he asked gingerly.

It must have been jackpot, because Kris' expression changed to one that mirrored deep sadness.

“You don't have to tell me, never mind,” he said quickly, but Kris, looking defeated, said,

“I might as well tell someone. I guess. And you're as good as anyone, I like you a lot.”

He started, “You probably guessed it already, but it’s to do with my Punishment. You have to promise not to think any differently of me though, okay, because it’s pretty bad. I’m surprised I only got the immortality and not just Hell.”

“I can’t imagine you did anything that bad,” Jongdae frowned.

“I was on the Titanic.”

All breath and blood seemed to drain from Jongdae. The reality of those words struck him hard, that Kris had been through such a traumatic ordeal and never told them, and that he had been on the most famous naval tragedy of all time. And that Jongdae had invited him to watch the 1997 movie of Titanic with him that one time like an almighty idiot.

“I’m alive, as you can see,” Kris chuckled, but there was no happiness on his face. “I probably don’t deserve to be. I was twenty-six, I was travelling with my parents to New York. I’d never been before. We were all so excited, the three of us, they’d paid for my ticket as a surprise even though they didn’t earn very much because they told me I deserved i for being s- for being such a good son,” his eyes suddenly moistened as his voice caught. He breathed deeply and stared at the ceiling and Jongdae had no idea what to say.

“I thought I was shit back then. The bee’s knees, all that stuff. But when it started sinking I was terrified, so terrified I couldn’t think straight. My dad tried to calm me down but I went into hysterics. I basically...” He looked down at the floor now. “I pushed him out of the way so that I could get to a lifeboat and didn’t even think about them until we got rescued and I looked for them when we got picked up by that other ship.” He took a moment to breathe again before he said what Jongdae had anticipated happened next, “And then... They were dead and I realised I was the worst person in the world and then this appeared.” He pulled down his collar to show his infinity symbol where it was burned onto his skin.

Jongdae truly had no idea what to say. What he did know was that he didn’t dislike Kris anymore now, or like him in any less, he only understood him a bit better, and was in disbelief that he could have gone through it and never told him in the future and in the past.

“Anyway,” Kris rolled out his shoulders blinking rapidly, “I don’t like being in close groups anymore. No one deserves to have to be around me. I don’t deserve a new family after what happened to my old one and these guys... Tao and the others, they’re too good for me.”

Everything gently clicked into place and the world turned slowly into perspective.

“I think,” Jongdae said slowly, “Maybe you’re being too hard on yourself.”

“Too hard on myself?” Kris retorted, “After what I did I deserve worse, JD.”

“You’re forgetting, though, you’re being handed the same Punishment that they are. You’re all the same as each other, aren’t you? You acted selfishly and out of fear but you’re not worse than Tao who has the Punishment because he almost landed me in the past forever by stealing the machine, or Minseok who broke a million hearts.”

Silence settled between them as Kris slumped against a counter, the tear that had been held up in his eye for those few minutes finally dropping and falling down his cheek, leaving behind one long streak in its path.

“You were only looking out for yourself, and though it was bad enough that you got the Punishment, you know why it’s given out, right? Minseok explained it to me. People who did bad and need to repent, but who are deep down good inside and deserve the second chance, and the eternal life is the opportunity to search for that chance and right their wrong, so you’re not evil or anything like that,” Jongdae declared, “You’re nice. I like you, and they all like you too, and you deserve a family if you want one.”

“And you see my point?”

“Point?”

Kris rolled his eyes, “The moral of my story that I was trying to relate to you: don’t think about yourself. I’ve known Minseok these past twenty years, to be honest he missed you by leagues, but he wasn’t in any pain. He just distracted himself thinking of seeing you again. It’s you that’s breaking this off because _you_ feel guilty and uncomfortable.”

Jongdae nodded. “I’ll take it on board if you accept you’re allowed to want close friends like them.”

An almost shy smile came to Kris’s face, and he wiped his eyes. “Maybe I’ll go by Yifan again. I changed it to Kris when I got to New York because I wanted to forget my old life.”

“I knew you would,” Jongdae grinned, “You introduced yourself as Yifan when we met in the future.”

“That settles it then,” he grinned back. An understanding passed between them, and each felt a little weight ease off their shoulders, though deep down Jongdae was still feeling uncomfortable. Even if he insisted Minseok was fine he still felt the guilt of the unfairness of the situation deeply.

He decided that he’d stay longer this time, instead of just coming and going at the speed of light. He still felt bad that he’d done that the last time, only a day into their trip to New York.

Tao walked in.

“Guys. Seriously what are you doing in here?” He sensed the mood in the room quickly. “Wow am I interrupting something what’s happening?” He looked put off, and Jongdae realised, amused, he was jealous that he was taking Yifan’s time from him.

“You’re not interrupting,” he said, patting his shoulder, and walked back into the living room. Minseok was still reading in his chair and flushed with new affection for his boyfriend who looked cute and comfortable in the corner walked over, pushed the book aside and flopped onto his lap.

He smiled immediately up at him and asked, “Where’ve you been?”

“The kitchen,” Jongdae manoeuvred himself to get comfy and looked at Minseok’s book, “What are you reading?”

* * *

 

The next morning, the machine dinged as it reached 100%, ready for use.

Minseok felt his insides twisting but pressed it down. It was still selfish of him to ask JD to stay longer, even if he’d only been there a day. He’d only been there a day.

He was in the middle of fighting negative thoughts when he saw JD casually turn the machine off and turn into its portable mode. “I can stay a little longer, right?” he said, as if he had to ask, and as if Minseok wouldn’t kill to keep him forever.

“Duh!” he exclaimed.

“There’s just a lot that I wanted to do,” JD continued, “Like go to a 50’s diner or something!”

“A 50’s diner?”

“I guess you just call them diners,” JD nodded, “I want a milkshake!”

Chanyeol appeared, “Did someone say milkshake?” Everyone other than Kris and Tao went (Kris said diners weren’t his style and Tao elected to follow Kris around). They left the house and walked around for a while before coming across one on the corner of a street, with the checked floors and booths and stools at counters that JD seemed to be looking for.

Minseok was just pleased that he was getting more JD to himself again. “Do you feel like telling me anything more about yourself today?”

“You know pretty much everything,” JD nudged him.

“Uh, what about your name then?”

JD pulled a puppy dog face. “Come on, don’t ask me. I already told you too much. Kyungsoo specifically Junmyeon to make up a codename for if he went back before he was born. I shouldn’t have told you about my birthday or the names of my friends and family, either.”

“But you did,” Minseok reminded him, “You told me all your friends’ names and your brother’s. So tell me yours.”

“I’m not going to,” JD said.

Minseok took a leaf out of JD’s book, and pulled his own puppy dog face. Immediately he saw JD’s features soften and internally high fived himself. “Hyung! Don’t pull that face, it’s unfair. You’re too cute,” he poked Minseok’s cheek happily. “I still won’t tell you.”

“Then tell me something else, like where were you born.”

“South Korea.”

When Minseok went still after his comment, JD tilted his head. “What’s up?”

“Is Korea still split in half?” he asked.

JD’s expression switched to realisation. “Oh. It only happened three years ago, didn’t it? 1953.” Minseok nodded, reminded again how much JD knew of the future and didn’t say.

He shrugged it off and said lightly, “I’m from the south of Korea too. Guri, Gyeonggi province.”

“I know,” JD said, a reminiscent smile crossing his features. “You told me.”

“When?” Minseok asked in confusion.

“2016. In a Karaoke room. I told you then where I was from and it seemed like you didn’t know, so I can’t tell you now.”

“Our whole relationship is so confusing. Let’s talk about something else and order,” Minseok decided, taking JD’s hand and leading him into the café.

* * *

“I don’t even like milkshakes that much,” Zifeng said, stirring it with his straw.

“Why not?” Chanyeol asked in disbelief, who was halfway through his.

“I find the texture weird and they’re too cold.”

“So drink it slowly,” Chanyeol said, despite gulping his. A couple of seconds after he said that he was clutching his head in pain from the brain freeze.

“What did I tell you? Too cold,” Zifeng took a sip and then pushed it away again.

“You’re so gloomy lately,” Chanyeol told him. “You used to be more chill, what’s happened?”

“Um, I’m immortal and can never know love or happiness?”

“Not necessarily, everything will probably work out,” Chanyeol said carelessly.

“You can’t talk, you know for sure you’re finding love and losing your punishment,” Zifeng found himself snapping. Chanyeol had no reason to fear for being immortal forever. In the future he’d meet JD’s friend Baekhyun, who they all knew he’d fall in love with.

“I guess your only solution is to have a house fall on you. Then JD will tell you your future afterwards,” Chanyeol replied, and Zifeng only glared in response. “Fine. Option 2 is to fall in love with a time traveller who already has a crush on you because they already met you in the future.”

Zifeng stared at him in disbelief, “How’s that any better? It hasn’t really done Minseok any favours.”

“Except he stopped being sad and bored about being immortal all the time. Like you’re being right now,” Chanyeol said. “Just wait for the next time traveller.”

“You’re saying it like it’s a likely thing to happen!”

“You never know what’s gonna happen in this life. When I was a kid I assumed I’d grow old like everyone else and die. I mean, it should’ve happened already I’m crazy old. But here we are, it turned out immortals existed and then it turned out time travel existed. Go look for another time traveller,” he concluded.

“No,” Zifeng said.

“Then I’m out of ideas. Where’d Minseok, JD and Luhan go?”

* * *

 

“So you’re staying for a while?” Luhan asked Jongdae, where they were stood at the counter waiting for Minseok to come back from the bathroom.

Jongdae nodded, finishing his sip and placing the cup on the counter. “It felt weird to just leave after less than a day, and I like catching up with you guys each time.”

“You and Kris had a long talk yesterday,” Luhan said, looking at him pointedly.

Jongdae felt a little uncomfortable, both under Luhan’s heated gaze and thinking about what Kris had told him. He couldn’t exactly just share the secret. There were also his feelings on the Minseok matter which he knew Luhan wouldn’t appreciate.

“Oh yeah,” he said trying to act casual, “I guess we were talking for a while. Like how you and I are talking now.”

“You also seemed kind of subdued lately,” Luhan continued, still talking with a tone that implied he wanted Jongdae to spill everything.

“I’ve just been thinking about something.”

“To do with Minseok?”

Jongdae wondered if he should repeat everything he’d told Kris the night before to Luhan. Luhan was very close to Minseok, he knew, and he also remembered when Luhan didn’t approve of him because he thought he was a bad influence on the oldest immortal.

Still, he elected to share again. “Do you remember when you didn’t like me? It was back in the first few jumps I made and hung you with you guys. You thought I was a bad influence of Minseok because he had to suffer for twenty years while I was absent. Anyway I’m...” He wriggled his shoulders a little to release the tension in them. “I’m starting to feel that way a little too, now.”

Luhan blinked at him and said nothing. Then looked down and then back up, frowning just slightly as Jongdae felt steadily more embarrassed.

Taking a deep breath, Luhan said, “I did use to feel that way because it used to be true. He used to be worse in the gaps between seeing you than before he met you, even if he was happier when seeing you. But it’s different now, JD. In the years between he’s... Okay now. He’s always looking forward to seeing you but he’s better than he was before meeting you. So,” his eyes narrowed a little, “I’m not sure why you’re feeling that way now instead of earlier.”

“I felt it earlier too,” Jongdae said quickly, “But I just feel a bit weird about it still. I was talking to Kris about it yesterday.”

“What did he say?”

“That I was thinking about my own feelings and not Minseok’s.”

“And shouldn’t you be talking to Minseok about it?”

“I, yeah probably,” Jongdae shuffled his feet.  

“Then do it,” Luhan said, and changed the subject, “How long are you staying?”

“I’m not sure yet, this month,” Jongdae replied, still aware of how long he’d been away from home. He decided he should probably get back before his birthday. He caught sight of Minseok leaving the bathroom and waved him over. “Let’s add this to list of things to do when we get back to my time,” he said.

“That list is getting long,” Minseok said, not rejecting the idea. They picked up they’re drinks and went to sit back with Chanyeol and Zifeng who were arguing, Chanyeol was trying to convince him to go chat up the waitress and Zifeng was ardently refusing.

“She might be a time traveller,” Chanyeol was insisting, and they decided not to get involved with whatever they were talking about.

* * *

 

They were making their way home when Minseok took him aside and said, “JD. Let’s go somewhere.”

“Go somewhere?” he asked, and Minseok nodded with excited eyes.

“Yeah, let’s go,” he said, tilting away with his head and Jongdae could never so no to that cute face. He followed helplessly, turning to wave goodbye to the others then following Minseok quickly. It was soon evident where they were going, as the trees of central park came into view and they strolled into the grass. They were in a woodier area and the fading sunlight filtered through the trees attractively.

“This is the kind of place couples place hide and seek,” Jongdae mentioned jokingly, but immediately saw Minseok’s eyes go mischievous. “Don’t do it-,”

“Catch me if you can!” Minseok ran a few paces ahead and slowed down laughing as Jongdae called whiningly behind him.

“I’m not going to do that,” he said, pushing Minseok’s shoulder lightly.

Minseok only grinned at him and pulled him by his arm down a pathway until stopping. “Here,” he said decisively. “Let’s talk here.” He sat on the floor and gestured for Jongdae to join him.

Still unsure of his intentions, Jongdae asked, “What did you want to talk about?”

“I got something for you,” he said, and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small bag. “I got the idea in the taxi a couple of days ago, and then I ran to the department store after. Here,” he passed it to Jongdae.

Jongdae pulled the opening of the bag and tipped the contents into his hand. Immediately, his breath caught and his heart whooshed as two rings fell onto his hand.

“They’re like promise rings,” he said, “I was thinking, while you’re gone sometimes I wonder if I made it all up, because you’re not there physically in the years passing. So I thought, how about I get something physical and meaningful in the meantime that I can keep with me, and you can have one too because I, basically, thought it would be cute.” He looked up into Jongdae’s eyes as emotions slammed into him full force. Unsure of what he was seeing on his face, Minseok said quickly, “Though if you don’t like them, we can just throw them out.”

“It’s like you can read my mind,” Jongdae said in wonder. He’d been worried all week about Minseok forgetting about him, yet here was with rings that literally symbolised the promise to stay together. “Which one’s mine?”

“This one,” Minseok pointed immediately, trying to suppress a smile as Jongdae picked it up and slid it on.

“Are you really gonna wear it all the time?” he asked.

“I will if you do.”

“I will,” Jongdae promised, feeling absurdly happy. Then he looked up at Minseok and beamed saying, “If you’re not wearing it next time I’ll be so mad.

“You won’t need to be mad,” Minseok told him, as they sat on the grass until the sun had set completely.

* * *

 

Keeping to his word, Jongdae stayed for a few more days. He enjoyed it for the first few, getting to spend time with his friends and his boyfriend in 1956, and going around seeing everything from the past in real life.

He couldn’t stay forever though, and a week into his visit gave the news that he had better be leaving. Minseok’s features didn’t show anything but he squeezed his hand before Jongdae headed to the balcony, where the machine still was.

He noticed Zifeng sitting on the balcony, looking off into the distance. He looked like a typical moody teenager. It was so weird thinking that he was Jongdae’s uncle, the collected and sophisticated Zhang Zifeng, his best friend’s father. He was also past middle aged, not even a teenager except by physical appearance.

“Zifeng-ah,” he called, still feeling weird about not talking formally to him like he usually had to.

“Oh, hyung,” Zifeng turned around.

The hyung thing was also weird, because even when they’d first met Zifeng was older. However, Zifeng had said he felt younger because of his body, and felt rude not calling older guys “hyung” because of how young he looked.

“What are you sad about today?” asked Jongdae, going to sit next to him.

“The waitress asked me on a date. From the diner.”

“Oh,” Jongdae was surprised that that could have been the cause.

“I obviously said no,” Zifeng slumped and put his hands under his chin.

Jongdae patted his back in sympathy. He supposed it would still be a while before his Uncle became mortal again. Yixing was born in 1991, after all. However, thinking more deeply about... 1976, the next jump, would probably be the last time he saw Zifeng as an immortal.

“It must happen next time,” he muttered to himself.

“What will?” Zifeng heard him.

“I’ll tell you next time,” Jongdae smiled, and stood up. “This is goodbye for the next twenty years then, _uncle_.”

Zifeng’s eyebrows raised immediately, and Jongdae only laughed before hugging him goodbye, and carrying the machine into the living room. Chanyeol, Kris, Luhan and Tao all came into the living room to say their goodbyes too, but only Minseok came with him back to central park to do the jump.

“Don’t count the days,” JD said warningly but with no heat behind his voice.

“I will,” Minseok countered. JD smiled surrendering and picked up the machine.

He looked at him earnestly and said, “See you soon,” before pressing the button and he was gone again.

Alone now, Minseok turned around and walked home whistling as JD became once more what might as well have been a figment of his imagination. But now he touched the ring, and spun it in a circle around his finger, and knew it wasn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't edit this at all so I'm so sorry if there are loads of mistakes whoops  
> I have some intense exams coming up so I might not be updating until June basically, but thank you so much for all the comments and kudos so far!! <3   
> All of the 1900s chapters are pretty bad not much is happening I'm very sorry, 1976 and 1996 are probably going to be kept short because basically everything is filler now haha I'll try to keep it interesting though  
> I already have 8000 words of 2016 written so that one's going be a long one stay tuned


	9. 1976

The biggest change in society in Minseok’s whole lifetime happened during the sixties. It felt like time and technology had been speeding up all through the 20th century, but 1976 was unrecognisable from 1956 in terms of social norms, politics and music. On a spring day in Canada Minseok caught sight of a flash of bright yellow and stopped stunned, thinking for a wild moment he’d seen JD, when in actuality all he’d seen was a student in an ugly yellow jumper. Times were creaking slowly towards JD’s time.

It made time seem to go faster, and it had definitely felt like time had rushed by now looking back. In 1816 two hundred years was unfathomable, in 1976 it was forty years away. His life had been passing him by interjected intermittently with a boy he loved more than life.

They’d travelled a lot in the twenty years, because it felt like everywhere they’d just been was suddenly different and they had to go and see how everything changed. Eastern Europe was suddenly a very dark and dubious place thanks to the Soviet Union, and Minseok had to trust that no atomic bomb had been dropped due to JD not looking like he’d grown up in a nuclear wasteland.

Zifeng threw himself into his work, delighted with technological advances and functioning solar panels (still too big to be fitted to a tiny machine but at least they existed properly now). It seemed like all the parts were started to be invented, both the random labels on the sketches and the things JD had mentioned over the years.

He had started making changes to the plans, as technology and his own understanding grew he was able to create more elaborate ones with details that would have eluded the original makers of the blueprints.

Luhan entered the world ballroom dancing championships on a whim and won, before fading back into the background after his moment of fame.

“You could enjoy it a bit longer,” Minseok mentioned, as Luhan turned down another interview, another opportunity.

“No point,” he said, “Fame is so much more widespread than it used to be. It’s dangerous to be even this much in the public eye. I’ll try to be forgotten about as quickly as possible.”

It wasn’t easy, everyone seemed to want to remember him, and his name was written newspapers and spoken among the other dancers, but the public forgot about him as he wanted. He had just wanted to dance again, so had, and was happy as things went back to normal again afterwards.

Yifan had finally given in and joined their group, telling them his intensive backstory. He still seemed wracked by the guilt of it. Minseok told him his own in return, and Chanyeol. He already new Tao’s and Zifeng’s, as they linked to JD, while Luhan still kept his reason for his Punishment private. They didn’t push him, it wasn’t their business if he didn’t want to say.

1976 rolled around, finally, and that was when the days and weeks slowed down even further. January took twenty years alone, then February crawled too but the second half of it flashed, March seemed to take ages but then April arrived which turned into May which became June which phased into July and the finally they arrived at August.

Fate was really against them, but still no matter what happened, even as twenty years passed Minseok was still as in love with JD as when he had last seen him. Nobody else even compared to him, even when he was flirted with he turned them down every time because in his mind there was no even considering it.

The day came, and suddenly it felt like no time had passed at all in between 1956 and 1976. It could’ve been seconds in between last seeing JD’s smile, the goodbye smile, and then the flash of light and here he was again in that yellow jumper and smiling hello.

The rush of seeing JD again always took Minseok by surprise. He thought maybe he’d be used to it, but the uncontainable joy that made it’s exuberant appearance in his heart when the light flashed white and he stood there again was as loud as always. The machine clattered to the floor and he held him close, never knowing how long he was going to stay each time.

“The prodigal time traveller returns,” Yifan said smirking.

“Go kill the fattest calf then,” JD returned grinning, “Aren’t I worth it?”

“We don’t have any calves but we did get a reservation at a barbeque place,” Minseok said, and JD’s expression turned delighted.

“I love the future! Do you remember in 1816 when we just went to inns,” he laughed, and slipped his arms tightly around his hyung. Even though it was only ever seconds for him, he saw the time that had passed in each of their faces and somehow to rubbed off on him too. Minseok’s hand started to card through his hair tenderly.

“I liked those inns,” Minseok said quietly. They represented to him precious few times he had with JD, so even if they were run down compared to what they were used to now he thought of them fondly.

“I like you,” JD countered immediately reaching up to poke Minseok’s cheek, whose gaze only softened.

“You guys stop, let’s go,” Chanyeol insisted.

JD didn’t let go of Minseok’s hand the entire journey to the restaurant, listening adeptly to everyone’s recollections of twenty years he had missed. He still held onto it when they sat down, even though it meant Minseok had to hold the menu with his left hand, and make JD reach across him to turn pages.

“I’m so glad barbeque restaurants finally got invented,” he told them, “I love them. We went to one the first week we met.”

“The first week we met?” Yifan frowned, timelines always alluding him.

“When I first met you guys, in 2016, and you already knew me but didn’t tell me, rude by the way, we went out for barbeque with Junmyeon, Baekhyun, Sehun, Jongin, and Kyungsoo,” JD recited the names of his friends which were all familiar to the immortals by now. Baekhyun who was JD’s best friend and Chanyeol’s boyfriend, Junmyeon who was Zifeng’s second in command, Kyungsoo who was the dependable programmer, Jongin who was interning and Sehun who was just kind of there and had ended up being given the secret access code to the underground base. JD seemed to remember someone, “Oh and Yix- my other friend was there too.” His eyes turned guilty.

_Another secret_ Minseok noted but didn’t say anything. He was too used to it by now.

“By the way, did you guys hear?” Tao said, tone switching into his gossip voice.

Minseok perked immediately, “Hear what?”

“You remember Coby, the forty-something year old immortal, looked twenty?”

“Yeah.”

“Lost the Punishment,” Tao said seriously, and everyone around the table raised their eyebrows. “He was lucky though, it was an easy one. He was bribed to frame an orphanage so these regulators could get it shut down, but it left like twenty kids homeless. He made enough money, tracked them all down and got them new homes.”

Luhan let out a long breath. “Only immortal for twenty years. That’s basically a blessing, just an extra twenty years of youth. Hardly even a Punishment.”

“It’s harder when your cause is complicated, and the people you need to make it up to are dead,” Yifan said glumly. Zifeng nodded in agreement.

“That’s right... I don’t know how I’m going make it up to JD,” Tao looked at him, tilting his head. “He’s not even mad at me.”

“Maybe it’s not always about an act of apology, but turning your bad deed into a good one?” JD offered, looking thoughtful. His gaze flicked very briefly to Zifeng. Zifeng didn’t notice, who was deep in thought again about his predicament.

Chanyeol shook his head, “That can’t work for everyone. Minseok and I can hardly turn our years of heart breaking into a good thing. The other to do it is the one you told me I’ll do, learn to be a different better person.”

“What I don’t understand is why that didn’t work for Minseok-hyung, though,” Luhan pointed out, “He’s in love with JD. He did the same thing you’ll do.”

That was a thought that had been in Minseok’s head since Chanyeol’s future had been sorted out for him. Chanyeol’s punishment was loving insincerely, lifted for falling in love finally with Baekhyun (or was going to be lifted) and changing. He was being punished for something similar: heartbreaking; so surely his devotion to JD was also similar enough that his Punishment could be lifted.

But then again, he didn’t want it to be. If had been lifted back in 1916 he would have aged sixty years now and he’d be too old for JD, which would be terrible. Nevertheless, he couldn’t get the nagging thought out of his mind.  

Still, he couldn’t let negative thoughts cloud his mind when he knew he was in the precious pocket of time before JD left him again and he wouldn’t see him for those twenty long years.

Right now he was sitting next to him, giggling with Chanyeol and warm and real, not like his dream self that he was during the long gap, only a memory.

Minseok reached for his hand, and immediately JD squeezed back, moving his eyes from Chanyeol to rest on Minseok and smile at him, that smile that sent Minseok flying into cloud 9 and made the rest of the world cease to exist. He knew was sat in the middle of a restaurant, but they might as well have been the only two people in the world when JD leant forward to sweetly kiss his forehead, then shuffle closer to him on the bench to press their shoulders close together.

He was torn back into the real world when Tao yelled that the meat was done cooking. He needed to use his chopsticks, but JD was currently in possession of his right hand and there was no way he was letting go.

“Minseokkie-hyuuung,” JD crooned when he noticed he wasn’t eating, and lifted a piece of beef to Minseok’s mouth. He opened his mouth and accepted it, and it was easy to ignore Chanyeol’s disgusted facial expression when JD was looking at him so happily.

* * *

 

Time with the traveller was always short, and Minseok was used to having to savour every second of it. He would have been happy to just sit with him for the day or two JD would stay, but the younger man wasn’t one for idleness and insisted on activities.

“I’ll never be in the seventies again, let’s look around,” he said enthusiastically, “So many cool singers are still alive! What movies came out this year?” Then he paused as something occurred to him, and then he started laughing. “Let’s go meet my parents!”

_JD’s parents_. Minseok looked at JD, and as opposed to all the times he saw him as a passing ghost-like figure, he now saw him as a real rooted person. He had parents and they were alive, he would be born soon, soon JD would be as real as Luhan and Tao felt to him, not the dream he was 99% of the time.

By the year JD was getting closer and closer to him, to being a permanent figure in his life instead of disappearing.

“On second thought,” JD continued, “They might be a bit confused if I suddenly appeared before them like hey I’m your son. What movies are out?”

Minseok didn’t remember much of the movie itself, although JD sat enraptured through it, because he was more focused on the touch of his hand that remained for whole 110 minutes. The loud laugh when something funny must have happened, they way his grip tightened when a stressful scene passed.

_Luhan had said to him once, “It’s really amazing, hyung. Your feelings really don’t fade even if you don’t see him for so long. I don’t think anyone else could do it like that.”_

_I don’t think anyone else has ever felt the way I do, Minseok thought but didn’t say_.

No matter what pain he went through, Minseok could never imagine any left without JD in it, the man had changed his life so gigantically his mind wouldn’t wrap around any other outcome.

There might have been a lifetime where he’d never even received the Punishment and had instead lived out his life normally and died 150 years ago. But he got this, these beautiful days with a beautiful boy and so many more to come.

“I’m really glad I met you,” he said out of the blue after they’d left the theatre.

JD looked at him in surprise after the sudden confession. Then he smiled, and very simply pressed their lips together in a soft kiss.

Warmth rushed through Minseok immediately like electric sparks and he responded immediately, one hand sliding around JD’s slim waist and pulling him softly closer.

It didn’t last as long as he’d have liked because then JD pulled back and looked at him softly as he said, “You already know you’re the best thing that happened to me.”

He couldn’t think of anything to reply, so Minseok only kissed him again

* * *

 

The six of them ended up in a park that evening when JD was still reluctant to tire in for the evening, even now that the sun was setting.

“Come on guys let’s do something,” he insisted, but Minseok had found a comfortably position and wasn’t feeling like moving.

“There’s nothing to do here, you realise,” Luhan said, reading a book against a rock.

“There’s the duck pond,” Zifeng said.

 “There’re ducks? Where?” JD brightened. “Let’s go.”

“I’m not getting up,” Minseok said, still finding the ground too comfortable.

“I’ll go without you,” JD hopped to his feet, “Zifeng come with me.”

Zifeng didn’t have anything better to do, so he ended up following JD to the ducks.

“Cute, cute, cute,” JD sighed, “I wish I had duck feed. It’s too late in the year for ducklings isn’t it?”

“Way too late,” Zifeng nodded, and laughed at JD’s ensuing pout.

He was too busy laughing to notice a woman walking behind him, and they colliding heavily with her falling to the floor.

He spun around immediately, “I’m so sorry! Let me help you up!”

She was clearly Not Happy, and fixed him with a very hard look before she brushed herself off. “Stupid teens,” she muttered, sending a final glare to Zifeng (and not to the 24-year-old JD) before going on her way. Zifeng was silent. JD looked at him nervously.

He said, “That lady was rude.”

Zifeng remained silent, going over his thoughts. He was at least twenty years older than her, her senior by far. She had spoken down to him because he liked seventeen, and sure she had been rude, but had he looked his actual age she wouldn’t have dared snap at him. She didn’t even yell at JD, who was young too but clearly an adult.

“I think I’m done with it,” Zifeng said, “I’m finally done with all of it. I’m done being seventeen when I’m an old man and being talked down to when I’m older than anyone that talks to me.”

JD looked at him and tilted his head, “So what are you going to do about it?”

Zifeng felt dumbfounded suddenly. The nature of the Punishment was that it was reversible, you just had to find out how to reverse it. He had no idea. “I don’t know,” he said, crestfallen.

“Think backwards,” JD offered, “What did you do to get the Punishment?”

“I stole the plans of the time machine from Tony and Jaeduc that they had been working on for their whole lives, and couldn’t return it because they died,” he said, a pang of guilt hitting him. “And they’re dead, so I can’t make it up to them.”

It felt hopeless. He was being punished for hurting two people, but they had died a lifetime ago, there was no way to fix it. “I’ll be this age forever, won’t I.”

“Of course not, uncle, you’d never deserve that,” JD said earnestly. Uncle, he’d called him uncle again.

“Why do you call me Uncle, hyung?” he asked quietly.

“That’s how I first knew you. My uncle,” he said, “You were my best friend’s dad. It’s weirder for me that you call me hyung.”

“Immortals can’t conceive.”

“You’re so pessimistic, I’m telling you there’s a way,” JD hit him on the shoulder, “Like how I did for Chanyeol. Aren’t I just a beacon of hope? Think hard and find a way out,” he said.

* * *

 

_1997_

_Zifeng stood at the gates of the elementary school, waiting for his son. It was a warm afternoon and kids had just started to leave the doors, walking over to their parents who were waiting to pick them up. He wondered if he should take Yixing to get ice cream, after all it was a nice warm day._

_He gazed lazily over the crowds and didn’t see that it was two young boys running to him rather than just the one._

_“Dad!” his son yelled, “This is my new best friend, Jongdae!”_

_That’s cute, he thought absently, Yixing has made a new friend. The name didn’t particularly click in his mind until he looked down at the friend, and immediately recognised that Yixing’s friend was in fact his own friend. Younger, but that smile with the upturned mouth never changed no matter the year._

_He had known it would happen one day, but it didn’t make it any less trippy to see the young boy staring at him beaming. It jolted him to remember that this was the first time he had met JD in real time, in a linear event where they were both meant to be there._

_“Oh,” he said, “It’s Jongdae.” The same upturning corners of his mouth, pointy chin and bright smile. He smiled back, delighted, wondering if Minseok could sense it, that the time of the final reunion was drawing near._

* * *

 

He was JD’s uncle. He had a son similar in age to JD. His son was born in the early 90’s that meant, only about fifteen years from their present time. Almost a blink in the eye considering his lifetime already.

“I’m married?”

“She’s beautiful.”

He swallowed the emotion tightening his throat. “But what do I do? Can’t you tell me?”

“I think that’s against the point of it.”

How to turn his bad deed that he did against two dead men around and right his wrong.

There was nothing he could do for Tony and Jaeduc now, but how else could he turn his right into a wrong. There was nothing good about having the plans for the time machine, he hadn’t even known that was what he was stealing.

The only good thing about the plans was that they would bring JD and Minseok together some day. Wait. They would bring JD and Minseok together some day.

His heart started racing.

“Did you think of something?”

“What if I did something good with the plans,” he said his voice growing breathless, “To right my wrong, I use the plans to create the time machine so that I can personally ensure things go right and make everything happen well. Will that be enough?”

JD’s slowly forming grin seemed to answer him. “I have money now, I’ll found Zhang Company, I’ll bring together researchers and we’ll properly build this time machine. I’ll get you and Minseok your happy ending and only use the plans for good to make up for the wrong I did by stealing them. I’ll,” he searched for something else, “I’ll donate the profits to charity!”

JD started laughing now. “Don’t go too overboard, Uncle.”

“I’ll do everything I can, JD,” he said, “When will we meet? Will I recognise you?”

“I think you knew me,” he said, “Though I won’t call myself JD.” And then he leant forward and whispered, “I’ll call myself Jongdae.”

Shock wormed in Zifeng’s tummy as he realised what he’d just been told, the secret information JD hadn’t even told Minseok.

“Don’t tell anyone, Uncle.”

“I won’t, Jongdae-hyung.”

“Please don’t call me that,” Jongdae laughed squirming, “You’re my uncle it’s so strange!”

“Jongdae-ah,” Zifeng said, the name feeling strange in his mouth, and he couldn’t quiet associate the time traveller with it. The foreign, futuristic sounding name “JD” had fitted him, and now it was like he was becoming a real person like they were instead of a supernatural figure from a distant time. He wasn’t so far away now, he was being born in sixteen years time, in 1992. In twenty years’ time when they met again JD would be four years old.

“The others will be wondering where we are,” JD said. “Let’s go.”

“Let’s go,” Zifeng said, his mind still whirring, but he as ready now he realised for the final push, to make his dreams became reality, to build the time machine and to set events as they should be.

If the others noticed the change in him they didn’t say anything. Minseok only had eyes for his time traveller and made grabby hands for him as soon as he approached. JD skipped into his arms willingly while Zifeng went straight to his notebook to start scribbling.

Ideas and more ideas, contacts to call, where to start up, how to start up. Bringing together everything he’d gathered over the last 80 years since receiving the plans to finally make everything work.

“Something’s changed about you,” came Luhan’s voice, and Zifeng realised somebody _had_ noticed. It was always Luhan, their dependable hyung. “Care to share?”

Zifeng thought it over for a second because there were some things he obviously couldn’t share i.e. JD’s name was actually Jongdae, but he guessed he could share one thing. “I think I figured it out,” he finally burst out. The glee of his 80 year old problem possibly being over was taking over him.

“Your Punishment.”

“I’m going to turn it into a good thing. I’ll use the plans to build the time machine, found Zhang company and then I can like manipulate events to ensure that Minseok and JD end up meeting like they did,” he finished.

“You’re sure?”

“JD seemed to think so.”

“Ah.” That had been all Zifeng had needed to say to convince Luhan, as JD was a pretty legitimate authority on whether a plan might work or not.

Zifeng wasn’t finished though, as he said, “I can’t believe it might finally be over for me! Years and years of watching my friends die and not being able to fall in love and being talked down to by people half my age! Now that I’ve figured it, I can try and help you too!”

“Help me?” Luhan quirked an eyebrow.

“I figured out how to end my Punishment, let’s end yours too,” he nodded eagerly. But Luhan’s expression hadn’t changed, not showing any equal enthusiasm.

He said at last, “Fengfeng, I’m so happy for you that you don’t even know. But I don’t care about ending my punishment.”

Zifeng’s smile dropped. “What do you mean?”

“I’m fine with my life as it is. I’m not in any hurry to die any sooner, and I especially don’t want to age and see my best friends stay young. I want what’s best for you, but I won’t leave Tao and Minseok and Yifan until their Punishments are gone too,” Luhan said simply.

“You can’t be serious, though?”

“I figured out how to end my Punishment when I first got it,” he said. Zifeng was struck dumb, with no idea how to respond to this sudden revelation. Luhan continued, “My village was overcome with an illness. My parents contracted it, I should’ve stayed and helped, stayed and buried them at least because we all knew it was fatal, but I simply left. I was terrified for my own life. I didn’t even mourn them, Kris at least did that, I didn’t even think about them. My mark appeared the day after I got the notice of their deaths and I just threw it out.

“To end my Punishment all I need to do is go and pay my respects to their graves and sincerely apologise, which I could do any day but here I am. So don’t worry about me, Feng, just focus on your own happiness.” He reached over to pat his head. “You may be older than everyone else who talks down to you, but I’m still your elder, so it’s fine for me to pat you, right?”

“It’s my honour for you to pat me,” Zifeng replied, feeling weirdly like crying. Luhan knew how to end his Punishment but retained it for the soul purpose of remaining with his friends for as long as possible.

Then Zifeng remembered the repercussions of losing the Punishment. He would begin to age, and then age beyond them until maybe even dying while they still lived. Immortals weren’t even supposed to be too close in contact with mortals. If he got married his wife would notice they didn’t age, his mortal friends would notice. He would have to cut off all contact.

“Stop thinking too hard,” Luhan said, “You know you want this, so take the happiness and grasp it. This is your opportunity.”

He turned and left then. Zifeng sat motionless for four minutes, and then he turned back to his notes and continued his work on them.

* * *

 

It came too soon, like it always did. The machine was charged and JD looked at Minseok with the look he hated so much, sad and apologetic, and he knew it was time for him to go.

So he could only grip him tightly for as long as possible, the grip that JD matched and only ended against the will of the both of them.

A hug for each of the others, less tight, then a second hug for Minseok that was longer and even tighter than the one before.

“I’ll see you soon,” JD said, both a truth and a lie depending on from whose perspective you considered it from.

He pressed the button and then he was gone, a dream again.

There was a deep moment’s silence as the flash faded and the immortals were left standing together, the long twenty-year road laying out ahead of them. Minseok knowing even as another twenty went by, when 1996 came his feelings would be as they were in that moment, and even as fresh as they were a hundred years ago.

“Should we go, then,” Yifan broke the silence.

Luhan nodded, “Yeah.”

They turned to move, but Zifeng stayed where he was. “Wait a moment, guys,” he said, and they all looked at him expectantly. He took in a breath and then smiled at them, “I’m actually saying goodbye too.”

“What are you talking about?” Minseok frowned at him.

“There’s something I need to do, and I need to do it alone. So, I’ll have to be leaving,” his smile was tight, his eyes pained.

Chanyeol moved to put his hand on Zifeng’s shoulder, “Feng, this about Zhang Company, right? You don’t have to go, we can do this together. Are you just going to leave after 76 years of us being together?” He voice began to raise at the end of his sentence.

“It’s something I have to do alone, and something I know I’m going to alone.” His eyes began to water finally as he continued, “You guys have really been the greatest friends I ever had and will have. I was just a literal thief when you took me in, and I’m so grateful that you gave me the opportunity to have a real family, but,” he sniffed, “My goal is to live, not be alive. Please don’t think me selfish for abandoning you, I know we’ll see each other in the future. But we all knew one day this would come to an end. I’m sorry to be the first to break off, but you know the rules. Mortals and immortals don’t mix, and I’m going to become mortal, so I’m going to have to leave.”

“Feng,” Tao said softly. His eyes had gone red. Luhan and Minseok stared at Zifeng evenly, sadly but warmly.

Zifeng suddenly bowed deeply. “I really owe everything to do you,” he choked, “I’m so happy I got to be with you for so long. I’m going to try my best now to finish the machine, and I’ll do it with all of you in mind. I’ll think about you every day.”

Tao stepped forward to wrap him tightly in a hug, followed by Chanyeol and then Yifan, uncharacteristically emotional. Luhan and Minseok stayed separate.

“You’re really doing a JD,” Minseok said, his voice was teasing but wavering, “Leaving.”

“Shush, Minseokkie-hyung,” Zifeng said and threw his arms around him. “I’m doing this for you.”

“I know,” he whispered, “Thank you.”

The thank you rung in Zifeng’s mind for the rest of that evening, when he picked up his packed bag and waved to his friends, leaving a piece of his heart behind knowing an era had come to close, but that it was time for his life to begin.

It was there when he sat struggling at his desk for hours, pulling 48 hour shifts as he fiddled with mechanics and mechanisms that shouldn’t have existed. When each prototype failed and tears gathered in the corner of his eye he remembered it.

The first investments for his company came from his five closest friends, and when he set up his study in his new premises he put up the photo of the seven of them from that day in New York, when he was first deciding what his destiny was going to be.

He hired his first staff member, a secretary named Pi Yanuo who beamed ecstatically at him when he agreed to take her on. She had dropped out of high school and after a row with her parents had been facing slightly dire consequences. She turned out to be hugely responsible though, and a lovely girl too.

“Aren’t you young to be the chairman of your own company?” she’d asked, and he’d smiled and said no.

Two years later when he was still the same age as when they’d first met, and she noticed, he told her the truth.

After, she said, “Let’s go on a date before I get too old for you, then.”

And then, it was out of the blue one morning when Zhang Company was established, they had a floor of offices to themselves and Zifeng had met Yanuo’s parents that he looked at his chest and he saw that the infinity symbol had disappeared, and his collar bone was bare.

_Congratulations_ a voice whispered in his ear, and he broke down sobbing.

Zhang Company only grew from there, people more willing to take the young man seriously than the teenager with the wise eyes. Minseok, Luhan, Chanyeol, Yifan and Tao came to the wedding, sitting quietly in the back, but they were there and clapped when Zifeng and Yanuo said their vows.

Zifeng built his building in the middle of Seoul, Zhang Company written in huge letters and reporters taking photos of the event. He moved his picture of them in New York to his new swanky office, right next to the one from his wedding day. He looked into the mirror at his mature face and grinned.

Yanuo fell pregnant. She asked Zifeng about potential baby names, and he only had one in mind.

When Zhang Yixing finally came into the world, the best friend of Kim Jongdae, Zifeng felt as though he already knew him.

The year was 1991, and Yixing gurgled at him from his crib, small and precious. Zifeng gingerly bent down to pick him up, and rocked him gently as his son started at him with those sweet brown eyes.

“You don’t know this yet,” Zifeng told him, “But one day you’re going to go to school, and at school you’ll make a friend, and he’ll have no idea who I am and call me uncle, even though I called him hyung for a hundred years, and then he’ll grow up and come back to meet me and he’ll change all our lives and maybe yours too.”

“Gaa.”

“I hate keeping secrets, so I’ll tell you now so that I won’t have kept it from you when you’re older, because I’m not supposed to actually tell you everything. But it’s fine if I tell you like this, isn’t it?”

About six years later Yixing skipped over to him with his new friend, who looked curiously familiar, and Zifeng smiled as everything clicked into place, and thought about Minseok, wherever he was in the world right now, and how his happy ending was finally on its way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHOOPS ITS BEEN FOUR MONTHS.   
> I had exams though! But now they’re over! I was in the middle of watching the drama What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim when I got this email notification and someone had commented saying they missed this so I was like, oh, closed the tab with drama immediately and finished the chapter haha. 
> 
> Sorry this chapter was bad it was a filler chapter but they’re necessary ya know. 1996 will probably be short so that I can skip to 2016 finally which I already have 10,000 words written for oops.
> 
> Sorry for mistakes I didn't proof read this thoroughly  
> Thank you for reading, comment and kudos if you liked it xx


	10. 1996

The years ticked by as they always did, punctuated by important events. Zifeng got married, and then in 1991, a year before they knew JD would be born, he had a son, Yixing. It was at times like these that Minseok wondered what else JD knew that withheld, he must have known Zifeng was married with a son all along.

Then again, he remembered, there wasn’t much time left now before there wouldn’t have to be any secrets at all between them. They went to Yixing’s christening and Minseok had to stop himself from choking up at how old Zifeng looked, an adult after a hundred years of being seventeen.

The 21st of September 1992 was an odd day. When Minseok woke up and made himself breakfast, he was thinking to himself all the while that right now JD might be being born. His actual self was actually coming into the world. In four years’ time he would see JD, and then twenty after that he would meet a man who would eventually go back in time and become JD, and after that JD would return to his own time of 1996 and never disappear again.

In the province of Gyeonggi-do a family was simply happy to welcome their second son and had no reason to think otherwise of the occasion or the profound effect it was having on a group of immortals elsewhere. To be fair, they also weren’t by any means aware of the existence of immortals and time travellers.

He thought about JD the next year on his first birthday, then again in 1994 and 1995, but when 1996 rolled around he was too busy focusing on the fact that this was the year he’d be seeing him again, and then it would be the last time he would leave him for twenty years.

He was glad these days he had photos of him. Back in the 1800s his face would face away in Minseok’s memory into a vague blur, only the brightness of his smile retained vividly in Minseok’s mind, and the lightness in his chest when JD was near.

Tao and Kris showed up, who had been on an exciting tour of China for the past year together, the only news Minseok received was exotic postcards and polaroid of the two of them. He and Chanyeol had both been living Seoul and staying in touch. The two of them had also ended up buying shares of Zhang Company. It had seemed natural to help Zifeng out when he had first been starting out by investing, but as it became more and more successful it was turning out to be pretty beneficial to be shareholders. They avoided going to meetings of they could, so that people wouldn’t notice that they didn’t age.

Luhan was usually around, he’d spent a month with Kris and Tao before deeming their adventurous style too exhausting and had wondered back to Minseok’s laid back lifestyle.

“It’s a blessing to be living so comfortably, these days,” Luhan sighed where he was draped over Minseok’s couch, “Do you remember when worked as farmers for three months in the late 1700s? Exhausting.” Minseok didn’t reply and he looked over to see the older immortal staring out the window. “But you don’t care because JD’s coming back tomorrow.” Minseok’s gaze suddenly snapped over to Luhan.

“What about JD?”

“Nothing,” Luhan said, turning his attention back to his newspaper.

“I’ll go greet him alone,” Minseok said.

“Okay.”

This was the last time he would ever have to greet JD and know he would be leaving again. In 2016 his presence would finally be permanent, so it felt somewhat special and Minseok felt like going to see him by himself for this time, like the first time they’d met in 1816, one hundred and eighty years ago. Minseok had known JD for two thirds of life now,

They all made the flight to New York again, but when the time came Minseok walked alone to the spot where he’d last seen him.

He arrived at the place, checking his watch every fifteen seconds for the exact time that he would reappear, double checking in his mind that it _was_ today, and it was right at this time. He’d kept the same watch and not changed the hours even for daylight saving so that it would be the most accurate.

 

The twenty years ticked slowly to a finish, and then JD flashed back into existence, in the yellow jumper and holding the machine and smiling sadly. His mouth quickly shifted into a happier smile. “Hi!” And he took Minseok’s breath away as much as ever.

Minseok breathed a sigh of relief as JD stepped into his arms, his body still feeling familiar even after twenty years.

“I missed you.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

He gripped him tighter, not wanting to think about how long he had before JD decided he needed to go again.

JD spoke again, “Where is everyone?”

“I wanted to greet my boyfriend alone, is that allowed?”

He felt JD smile into his shoulder. “It’s allowed.”

A cosy, fulfilling warmth spread through Minseok’s chest, and he repeated, quieter this time, “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.”

“No you didn’t.”

“I would have.” And weirdly, that was enough for Minseok.

 

JD slipped back into Minseok’s life as seamlessly as always, fitting into his new routine that developed every twenty years, grabbing his hand as he asked about everything that happened. Minseok’s heart felt like it was beating for the first time since he had left. He pulled him through the streets talking rapidly about everything he’d done in the time that had passed. These days at his age the twenty years didn’t feel like as much time as they’d used to. As he went through everything he surprised himself at everything that had happened.

“Does everyone still know each other? I always worry in the twenty years you’ll have a falling out or lose touch and it will be awkward by the time I arrive,” JD said. “They didn’t come to pick me up but they’re around, right?”

“Luhan’s literally at the hotel,” Minseok said, squeezing his hand, still basking in the way it felt for JD to slip back into his life, asking about the others, responding to him.

Whenever Minseok spoke to JD in his head he couldn’t reply.

“How is he?”

“Same as usual. I think he misses Zifeng. Oh.” Minseok remembered. “Zifeng’s gone.”

“Gone where?”

“He lost his immortality, he got married and had a son.” Minseok paused and waited for the look of surprise on JD’s face, but it didn’t come.

Instead JD said, “Yeah, Yixing-hyung.” Then a flash of guilt crossed his face.

Realisation dawned on Minseok. “You already knew?”

“I basically grew up knowing Uncle Zifeng. Yixing-hyung and I went to school together.”

“Hyung?” Minseok pictured the baby he’d been sent a picture of.

“Well, he’s a year older than me.”

This basic fact reminded Minseok near-chokingly of how real JD suddenly was. He was a child who was going to meet and befriend Yixing and call him “Hyung”. He was really out there, at this time, being raised. Zifeng was about to actually meet JD.

“When did you meet him?”

“It must have been... 1997.”

 _Next year_. Zifeng was literally going to meet JD, except the real JD, next year. He must have gone quiet because then JD said hurriedly,

“Are you angry? I really wanted to tell you guys I promise, but I’m really not supposed to give away things about the future, I’ve probably broken rules already with how much I told you-,”

“JD,” Minseok interrupted, “I was just thinking about how it won’t be too long until I get to see you and keep you.” JD’s cheeks flushed pink.

“Oh,” he said. His mouth upturned into a smile, “I’ll anticipate it too.”

“It’ll be in a couple of days for you.”

“I can still anticipate it,” he grinned, letting go of their hands to slide his arm around Minseok’s waist. Minseok closed his eyes to relish the feeling of JD’s warm body pressed against his side, a feeling that eroded in his memory as the years passed and then felt fresh and perfect again when he got it back.

 

They got back to the hotel, Chanyeol offered him a crisp high five before hugging him, he got a salute from Kris who was sat on the couch. Tao waved and seemed like he might have sat up had Kris’s legs not been swung over his own.

“We’re sorry Zifeng’s not here-,” Luhan began, but Minseok interrupted him.

“He knows about Zifeng. He grew up alongside Yixing.”

The other immortals shot JD quizzical looks, and he shrugged apologetically.

“I guess we should have seen it coming,” Chanyeol reasoned.

“If you grew up alongside Yixing does that mean you’ve been born?” Tao asked. “Wait, you told us before you were born in 1992. That’s so weird. Wait, that means we know where you live too.”

“I think we should all agree not to go looking for him,” Luhan said quickly. “I don’t want to mess up any timelines.”

The others all nodded in agreement. They’d made it this far without changing anything too drastically, so they probably shouldn’t start now either.

“I can’t believe there’s only one jump left,” Tao said, “It feels like we’ve known you forever, and now the next time we see you after this you won’t be like, leaving for twenty years.”

“To be honest, I can’t believe that the machine held out for so long,” JD said. “I mean this is the first working prototype, it was only supposed to take Junmyeon back twenty minutes, but it’s done nine twenty year jumps and one two hundred year jumps. I can’t believe it worked so well.”

“Do you like 1996 so far?” Kris asked him.

“I do! Everything seems really modern now. And familiar too, I was raised in the nineties,” JD said, as he looked around himself pleased.

“You and I aren’t so different then,” Minseok said.

“What do you mean?”

“I was also raised in the nineties.”

JD frowned at him in confusion. Luhan sighed. “You were raised in the 1790’s, hyung, you’re 304 years old.”

Minseok wrinkled his nose. He didn’t keep track of his age anymore, and the sudden reminder irked him. “Ew, you’re right.”

“And I’m three years old,” JD added, “So you’re a hundred times my age!”

“Don’t make me feel old, and twenty-six and you’re twenty-four,” Minseok said, hitting his shoulder.

“Cradle snatcher,” JD said, shaking his head.

“You liked me first,” Minseok defended himself. “When we met in 1816 you had a crush on me and I didn’t know who you were!”

“Mmm, but from my perspective you liked me 150 years before i liked you!”

“When we met in 1816 you liked me already so you liked me first.”

“But I had come from 2016 when you already liked me when we met and _I_ didn’t know who _you_ were.”

Chanyeol interrupted, “I hate your relationship so much, you don’t even understand.”

JD laughed at him, and Minseok sunk happily back into the feeling of having everyone all together again, the kind of warm companionship he only got to feel every twenty years.

 

JD said he wanted to be taken around, so they took him to see places. Stranded in New York without JD’s passport (security was tighter now) there was still plenty to do, as the city was ever changing even in twenty years.

Digital cameras existed now, so JD made Minseok take pictures of him next to various monuments in the past with the promise that he needed to keep them hidden lest anyone find a picture of a man who didn’t technically exist yet, except as a baby in a city on the other side of the world.

They even ventured to see Vermont and New Hampshire because he said he wanted to see the scenery, and when he was back in his own time he wouldn’t be able to afford to visit again. Minseok made private notes to take him.

But in the back of his mind he began to worry about what JD usually worried about, that he had been gone too long in his own time and would have missed important things.

Still, he couldn’t say he wasn’t pleased that he was getting to spend so much time with him when he usually didn’t get to.

“You’ve stayed a while now,” Minseok said slowly. “I’m enjoying it.”

JD smiled at him, but when his eyes became that slight sorrowful, apologetic way Minseok knew what he was going to say next. “You know I’ll have to leave soon, though.”

“Don’t bring that up, just let me enjoy having you here,” Minseok sighed, “Seeing you is like a blink in the eye of my life time, you realise.”

“You still like me though,” JD said playfully, “I guess I leave a big lasting impression.”

“You changed everything,” Minseok said sincerely. “I have no idea what kind of a life I’d be living if you hadn’t come into it.”

JD was quiet for a moment, looking at him through those long eyelashes like an angel. “I’m really glad I met you,” he said at last. “Even if we met weirdly, I’m glad we did. You’re the most amazing guy I ever met, I really liked you even when you ignored me when I first met you.”

“I still can’t see myself ignoring you,” Minseok argued.

“Just wait, you’re definitely going to!” JD laughed, “Once you actually greeted Baekhyun and not me, I thought you hated me.”

“I couldn’t hate you JD, never,” he rolled his eyes.

“That’s good. But we should probably talk about the last jump. For example, I probably want to reappear in Seoul right, so we should go back there for it,” he said. Then he frowned. “Actually, I don’t have a passport on me. In 2016, come get me and bring it with you, okay? Baekhyun will know where it is.”

Minseok smiled as he nodded. The idea of having to bring him his passport brought with it the feeling of permanence, of a constant presence in a time instead of a fleeting appearance.

“Okay and also,” JD pointed a finger at him seriously, “When you meet me, I’m not going to know you, so don’t get surprised.”

Actually, Minseok had forgotten that.

He’d been focusing on the day that JD returned once and for all, not on the day that he’d run into the JD that had not yet gone back in time and met him. Even as JD had been talking about it moments before, saying Minseok had used to ignore him, the thought grazed past his mind and didn’t stick long enough for him to properly think about it.

He knew the story from JD’s point of view: He met a Minseok, Minseok seemed not to know him, JD got a crush on him anyway, JD came back in time and met Minseok for Minseok’s first time.

From Minseok’s point of view, he had met JD in 1816, a time traveller who claimed to know him from the future, fell in love with him, and now was going to meet a JD in the future who’d never met him, then later on JD would go back in time and return a few months later with a full memory of their time together.

Confusing and dumb, but it was what it was.

“I’m going to pretend not to know you, aren’t you?”

“Unless you actually forgot me, yeah,” JD nodded.

“I mean I’m obviously not going to forget you,” Minseok laughed, reaching to squeeze JD’s hand. The other boy’s face brightened in a smile.

“We had this conversation before, anyway. If you told me you’d met me you’d be telling me my future, which we’re not allowed to do. I didn’t even tell you my name.”

“You could tell me now.”

“I’ll tell you in twenty years,” JD said, tapping his nose.

“You’ll see me in a split second.”

“In twenty years, though.” “Right,” Minseok said, staring softly at JD’s face as he re-memorised all its features to keep them in his mind for the next twenty years, during which he wouldn’t be able to see them.

 

Jongdae liked the 1990s more than he had liked any of the other times he’d ended up in over the last couple of months/two hundred years. It felt familiar to him, it reminded him of his childhood. If this was 1996 then he was just about four years old. He could remember being that age, on his fourth birthday he’d tipped his cake over and had cried for forty-five minutes. That same event was set to happen within the next few weeks, as it was early September.

It also meant he could talk more comfortably about the past, as most of the things he’d had to try and avoid talking about had happened. There was only a twenty years gap of knowledge between him and Minseok now, and soon after his next jump they would be completely up to speed.

He grinned to himself thinking about it, that for him at least it wouldn’t be long until he could tell Minseok his actual name and then date like normal people, or as close as they could get to it considering their history. He wouldn’t be the withdrawn mysterious immortal he’d known for those few months in 2016 before he’d gotten sent back in time, but his own cute, funny, handsome boyfriend who he’d discovered along this twisted timeline. His long journey was finally coming to an end, and he could throw away the stupid machine as soon as he got back. Well, maybe just give it back carefully seeing as it was his uncle’s life’s work.

He started wanting to look around more. Now that it was the last jump it seemed less imperative to get home as quickly as possible. In a weird way it was like a holiday, seeing as he didn’t have to work, just look around and have fun. He did get an uncomfortable guilty feeling thinking about his work and family though, and though he stayed a few weeks he knew it was time to head back.

He didn’t feel as bad as he usually did though. He was excited, the next time he would see his Minseok would be the start of them actually knowing each other normally. He wouldn’t have to feel bad about leaving anymore, he could introduce him properly to his friends and to his family. And he was excited about seeing his friends and family again, who he’d been apart from for more than three months now.

He knew it was time to go home. Looking at the machine, which had been fully charged for weeks, he didn’t feel the sourness he usually did to it, for taking him away from his time and away from Minseok every twenty years. Now it was going to take him home.

It was impressive too, that it had worked this long.

He was sometimes worried that it might break. After all, it had only been designed for one twenty-minute trip, yet it had lasted nine twenty-year jumps and one two hundred year jump.

Actually, it was a little strange. He wondered over to it and pressed his ear to its side, waiting for the smooth whirring sound that usually came. What he actually heard was gentle scratching, alongside the whirring. He stood back, a little worried, but pushed the thought away. It was still working, that was what was important. It wasn’t like it could fail on him now, after all this time.

 

The day came, like it always did, for JD to leave.

“I feel like we should throw a party or something. This is the last time JD’s leaving,” Chanyeol said enthusiastically. “Or should we throw you one when we see you again?”

“When you see me again,” JD said. “This time in twenty years. I want a four tiered cake.”

“I’ll make it five tiered,” Chanyeol promised, before grabbing and hugging his friend. Minseok wasn’t the only one who’d gotten attached to the time traveller over the years.

Minseok went with him alone for the actual jump, to a secluded garden on land that Kris owned, and that he promised to own for the next twenty years so that JD wouldn’t end up inside a brick wall if someone decided to build there in the intervening years.

JD smiled at him softly, then kissed him even more softly, and Minseok tried to suppress the sorrow with the feeling that this was the last time, his only comfort.

It was going to be okay, this was the last time.

But then, just as he was convincing himself it was going to be okay, when JD switched the on button the machine only made a loud creaking sound before it struggled back into life.

Minseok looked at JD in panic, but he was staring at it evenly. “I thought something like this might happen.”

“What do you mean?” Minseok asked frantically.

“It wasn’t really designed to last this long, so... But it’s turned on, so it will probably work.”

The older immortal stared at his calm face in shock. “Probably? You’re going to throw yourself into time using a broken machine that will probably work?”

JD’s face cracked a little, but he kept it straight. But Minseok knew him well enough that he was barely holding it together. “Let’s not think about the worst. I don’t have any other choice but to use it.”

“Why don’t you just stay here?” Minseok begged, not being able to stand the idea of JD getting lost in time, “Just stay in 1996 with me and don’t go forward! You’ll catch up eventually!”

“And what, Minseokkie-hyung?” JD smiled sadly, “I’ll be twenty years older than all my friends, I’ll almost be the same age as my eomma,” tears formed in the corners of his eyes and he brushed them away, “I need to get back, I always needed to.”

“I need _you_ , though,” he insisted, “I could wait the twenty years because I knew you would be there at the end of it! But not if using the machine might hurt you. I can’t live the rest of my life without you in it now.”

JD rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Minseokkie-hyung, we don’t know for sure it’s damaged badly, it’ll probably work just fine!” He forced a smile, “But I have to risk it. But even if something does happen-,” Minseok tried to interrupt him, but JD silenced him, “I don’t regret any of it. I’d have Jongin send me back in time in every lifetime of mine if it means I get to fall in love with you, okay? I’m so glad this happened to me, and we have to see each other again because otherwise what was the point of everything that happened over the last 200 years? It can’t end like this, I promise it won’t. We’ll see each other again.”

“But it might not work...” Minseok repeated, his brain stuck on the idea of an entire life without JD, “What if it sends you to a completely random time? What if you end up four thousand years ahead? Just stay here, safe, with me.” He could feel his heart carefully shredding into pieces, but he knew what JD was like, and knew that when his mind was made up, it was made up.

“We’ll see each other again,” JD promised, eyes sincere and shining, “I’ll only ask you to wait one more time. This is the last time, and then I’ll never ask you to wait for me again. But please grant my request, just this last time, and then never again.”

Minseok stared into his eyes in agony, knowing that this was either the start of finally a full life with JD, or the end of knowing JD at all. Of course, this had to happen now, in 1996, when JD had already been born and was already growing up, and when there was only one more gap before he was caught up.

“I promise,” JD said, “I promise we’ll see each other again. I won’t let this be the end. You have to believe that I’ll come back.”

The machine sat on the floor, fully charged, but still sparking, and the screen where it usually displayed the hours and minutes it could travel still cracked and empty. There was no knowing what it was capable of, where it would send JD, or if it might just send him into the void forever.

He was at the brink of losing him, but then he looked into the honesty of JD’s pleading eyes, and found he couldn’t not believe them, or deny them. He was right. The universe couldn’t leave things like this, the universe was there to balance things. He had been punished with immortality to balance the good and bad of the world, and when he was about to consider ending it all JD was sent to him and he lived again. There wasn’t anyway that it would rip JD away from him now, not after everything.

“I’ll wait just one more time,” he said, squeezing his eyes shut, “And you better come back.”

He felt JD’s hands on his face, and then his lips on his own, and then even behind his shut eyes the bright white light penetrated, and when he opened them he was alone with only his tears, and then the sobs wracked through his body as he realised JD was gone again, and another twenty years awaited but with no certainty at the end of them.

But he trusted JD, and he trusted the universe, and he knew it couldn’t end like this.

And then he looked up at the sky and his heart lightened just a little bit, thinking that this might be the end of the waiting. But this was day 1 of 7305, there was still a long way to go, but miniscule when compared to 65,000 he’d been through over the last 180 years, so he took a deep breath, and headed back to his friends, ready for the final hurdle.

 

 

**31 st December 2015, New Year’s Eve**

Minseok waited alone in the bar. He was early and he wouldn’t be surprised if the others were late, even though this was a reunion. He rarely saw Zifeng these days even though he was a shareholder for his company, and Tao, Kris and Luhan had been in China for years. They were all meeting up this new years though, because it was a year they were all interested in. Everybody wanted to meet JD for real, and this was the year that it would happen.

Chanyeol arrived first. He had stayed largely in Korea, though he still liked to travel. He had already been most places in the world, but each place kept changing so he kept going back. He smiled to see his old friend and high-fived him. JD had high fived him once, two hundred years ago, and Minseok had had no idea what he was doing. He knew what high fiving was now.

His smile was broader when he saw Luhan, and he stood to hug him.

Over his years of life lots had changed, but not this friend. He still had the same face, though his hair and clothes changed. His laugh was still high and rapid, and he was still funny and dependable.

Kris and Tao came next, thrusting gifts from Beijing at them and chatting rapidly about the music company they were setting up.

And then Zifeng came, who they had known as that sobbing, frightened teenager, and then handsome seventeen-year-old with eyes far wiser than someone so young should have had. Now he was older than all of them, still handsome, but with a freedom in his expression that they all lacked. He was going grey around his temples, but he still called Minseok “hyung”.

Zifeng’s company had grown and grown over the years. They’d all become shareholders in it, for obvious reasons, and although they saw Zifeng rarely, he still on occasion sent them updates on how things were going. Sometimes it was just a 77%, then a few months later it was 81%. As it stood right now, the latest was that it was 98% finished. Six months to go, they all knew, until the machine was functional.

They sat, catching up, not quite addressing the elephant in the room that 2015 was about to turn into 2016, the year that JD had come from, but all of them thinking about it.

When the clock chimed midnight, Zifeng said, “I think this is going to be a good year,” and they all drank to that.

 

Then it was February, and the weather was showing no signs of warming up in preparation for spring, but March was never usually warm either. He had business at Zhang Company, a small shareholders meeting, and had taken Chanyeol with him. He was always impressed with what Zifeng had been able to create, the long clean corridors and smart offices. The workshops were the places of true beauty, where prototypes were made, everyday getting close to what JD had carried with him.

The time machine was obviously a secret that only select shareholders knew about and select employees too. They hid the secret with the front of making roller coaster attractions, and behind the scenes in the secret workshops they made the machine.

He greeted Junmyeon, one of few employees knowing the truth about Zhang Company. JD had mentioned him a few times in the past before, and it was somewhat comforting to meet a friend of his. He never asked about him though, he knew he shouldn’t.

“Are you here for the meeting, hyung?” Junmyeon asked, a handsome charismatic man. He was being shortlisted to be the test pilot for the machine. (A formality, every non-mortal knew what was actually going to happen).

“It’s in the usual meeting room, right?” Minseok asked, and Junmyeon nodded.

He looked excited, “The prototypes are starting to work. It won’t be long,” he grinned, but his happiness couldn’t possibly be matched to Minseok’s which overwhelmed every fibre of his emotion.

He walked to the meeting room where the rest of them were sat. Zifeng was at the head of the table, looking older every year and Minseok was happy for him.

“Your investments are about to pay off, gentlemen,” Zifeng announced to them, “Thanks to technology’s increasing speed, the prototypes are starting to work. I can’t imagine we won’t be done by the summer. From now on it’s about streamlining the technicalities and safety testing.”

“Do we know yet who’ll be piloting it?” asked one of the members of the board.

“I have shortlist of a few of our most capable employees,” saying that, Zifeng caught Minseok’s eyes. It wasn’t going to be a capable employee piloting it, was their secret truth.

The meeting went on like so, Chanyeol secretly playing on his phone about halfway in as he could never be bothered to fully listen during these meetings. Minseok felt like he only came along on the off chance they might see JD or even Baekhyun.

The end of the meeting came and Chanyeol stood up with a sign of relief. “Finally over,” he said. They waited behind to talk to Zifeng, who was shaking hands with various men. When they were alone he came over.

“We’re getting lunch, are you coming?” Chanyeol asked.

“I have a phone call scheduled in fifteen minutes,” Zifeng apologised, “Come get coffee with me in the common room though.”

They walked down various hallways until finding the backstairs that went down to where the real magic happened, which needed a keycode to get into that about twenty people knew. It took them into the lower levels with the machine blueprints on the walls, Zifeng’s office and the better common room for the secret employees.

Minseok sometimes wondered about how they got chosen. One guy who knew the secret was Oh Sehun, he was literally a friend of a friend that was allowed down there. But Zifeng basically let anyone he liked know, which was how something like that came about.

Kyungsoo was the only employee in the room, sitting reading. When he saw them come in he stood immediately. “Mr Zhang,” he said, bowing.

“Hello, Kyungsoo, meet my friends,” he gestured to them.

“They’re shareholders,” he recognised. If he thought they looked too young to be that rich or important, his polite manner didn’t show it.

“Why are you here alone, isn’t it your lunch hour?”

“I’m waiting for friends to go out,” he said. He frowned a little, “They’re late, but I expected that.”

Zifeng nodded, then said to the two immortals, “I’ll get the coffee, you two wait here.” Despite being physiologically older now, he still addressed them as his seniors.

They watched Kyungsoo as he sat reading his book (advanced mechanical engineering) and occasionally sighed at his watch. It was strange seeing him. JD had used to speak about his friends, Kyungsoo being one of them. He’d been one of the main engineers on the machine, and right now he was just in front of them.

“How do you like working here?” Minseok asked suddenly.

Kyungsoo looked surprised to be addressed, but replied with his eyes suddenly lighting up somewhat. “I love it! I’ve always wanted to work on something that will change the world, pioneering, you know? Everything about working here is incredible, I even get to meet immortals.”

“You know we’re immortal?”

He looked a little embarrassed. “I sort of recognised it on you, my grandmother had the Punishment.”

And that was when the door swung open and a young man with dyed blonde hair and a light hearted smile walked in. “Kyungsoo-ah! I’m late, sorry, but I’m here!”

Recognising his voice, Chanyeol’s head shot up. He’d heard that voice on an iPhone in a time where an iPhone shouldn’t have existed. Minseok recognised him too, because Byun Baekhyun was standing there beaming at a huffy Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo stood and said, “Where’s your troublesome roommate?”

“Aww,” Baekhyun looked touched.

“What?”

“Usually _I’m_ the troublesome roommate! He got caught up with work, he said he’d meet us there if he couldn’t catch up.”

“And why are _you_ late?”

“I was sleeping,” Baekhyun said evenly. “I’ll pay for your drinks as an apology, let’s go.”

“I’m ordering three bottles of the expensive mineral water,” Kyungsoo warned him. He bowed in goodbye to the frozen immortals, and then he and Chanyeol’s future boyfriend left again.

When they were gone, Chanyeol said breathlessly, “That was...”

“Yup.”

“The sole reason I didn’t give up on life back in 1916.”

“Yeah,” Minseok said, but his mind was whirring considering the fact that he’d just seen JD’s best friend and roommate, whom he’d mentioned time after time. JD suddenly felt even closer to him.

Zifeng walked back in with the coffee and took in their startled expressions. “What’s happened?” he asked.

“Kyungsoo was getting lunch with Baekhyun and JD.”

“Ah,” Zifeng said calmly, putting the tray down.

Chanyeol stared at him, then said passionately, “Tell me about him! Come on!”

“Go after him if you want to meet him that much, he’s not a time traveller he’s fair game,” Zifeng said. Chanyeol jumped in realisation, and then scurried out.

Minseok picked up his coffee and took a sip.

Zifeng caught his eye, “How do you feel?”

“I don’t know. Anticipation, but not sure if it’s good or bad.”

“You met him June 1st 1816, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Four months to go,” Zifeng said, and the anticipation decided it was the good kind, the very good kind, that started dancing inside Minseok’s heart.

Zifeng got a text. “My meeting’s starting early, I’ve got to go,” he apologised, “Thank you for coming today.”

“I was glad to see you,” Minseok said warmly. They parted, and he went upstairs to look for Chanyeol, and see if he caught up with Baekhyun.

He found him outside, dejectedly leaning against a pillar.

“They got on a bus,” he said.

They started to walk away, and Minseok voiced his thoughts. “It can’t be long,” Minseok sighed happily. The air was frosty but the sun was shining. He got lost in his thoughts. His JD would be here soon, and then he wouldn’t leave again. They would be together for years to come. Minseok would get rid of his immortality, he would do it as soon as possible. Nothing was going to stop him from growing old with JD. He was sure that the machine would work, and even if there was a little anxiety that it wouldn’t, somehow the feeling of seeing JD again was banishing that fear.

They were finally going to be together for more than just a few days or weeks. They were going to be together, he was going to see JD’s smile every day.

The one that day they first met, when he slept on Minseok’s couch. The one when they re-met twenty years later. In New York, the one when he told him he loved him.

The one where-

“YAH!”

Minseok walked straight into a man on the pavement, who dropped his phone on the floor with a loud clatter. Minseok winced and looked to him to apologise, immediately getting stopped short in his tracks.

“Hey! Watch where you’re walking,” the man snapped, rubbing his forehead.

JD was the man.

The sharp tug at Minseok’s heart was almost painful, as he looked straight into the eyes of JD, but who was frowning at him.

There was no recognition in his eyes. He was a stranger. The man who had singlehandedly made Minseok want to live was looking at him blankly, because he hadn’t met Minseok yet.

JD stared at him, as if waiting for a response. Minseok was too starstruck to form words, simply staring at the face he hadn’t seen for so long, that he loved so much.

His hair was light brown and permed, not black, Minseok noticed. He must have dyed it. It struck Minseok that this man here was just an ordinary guy. In 1816 he’d been a _time traveller_ , someone completely different to anyone Minseok had known, he’d recognised Minseok and treated him as his friend. This was just a typical 2016 young adult standing before him, but with the face of the most incredible person Minseok had ever known.

He was dressed in ripped jeans. So was Minseok, because it was the fashion, not like in 1816 when Minseok had thought he’d fallen and ruined his jeans. This JD was just a guy, not a time traveller, he’d never even seen the machine. He was never even meant to go back in time, it was an accident.

“Excuse me?” JD was frowning at him like he was rude. He heard muffled words from the phone that he dropped. JD bent down to pick it up. “Baekhyunnie, sorry, some guy bumped into me and I dropped you. Yeah, yeah I’ll hurry.”

The words “some guy” stung Minseok, and was pulled forcefully back into reality.

“Hey!” he yelled, emotion welling inside him as he realised JD was walking away from him.

The love of his life turned around and raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“What’s your name?” Minseok asked breathlessly.

JD blinked at him.

Nothing else in the entire world existed in that moment, not the cars on the highway, not the cold air, not the metres between them.

Only him, and JD, and then JD didn’t exist anymore.

“Jongdae,” he said, “Kim Jongdae.”

Because JD was actually named Kim Jongdae, who was real and who belonged to this time, and who didn’t belong to Minseok yet.

Jongdae cracked a smile suddenly. “What’s your name?”

“Kim Minseok,” he almost laughed.

Looking amused, Jongdae grinned back. “Nice to meet you.”

He put the phone back on his ear. “Calm down, I’m on my way. I’ll catch this bus.”

He turned and jogged away, not looking back at the two strangers as he hopped on, and was gone as soon as he had arrived.

Tranquillity settled inside Minseok, and then uncontainable joy.

“Kim Jongdae!” Chanyeol said, phasing into existence again.

“Kim Jongdae,” Minseok repeated, and then two of them started laughing like maniacs in the road, because everything was finally in order.

“His surname was so common too!”

They were both in the time they were meant to be in, no machines or long waits.

Absolutely no more waiting. After all he’d been through, the universe couldn’t allow JD’s last jump through time to be a failure, he’d be here soon. Soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was SOOOOO RUSHED lmao im sorry but I really wanted to just get it out so here it is I didn't even properly proof read it so sorry for mistakes and that its bad overall LOL
> 
> Thanks for reading thoooo


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